Sudan: Protest in Darfur over end of UN peacekeeping mission

Thousands of displaced people in the Darfur region of western Sudan protested Sunday against a decision by the U.N. Security Council to end the mandate of a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force and replace it with a smaller political mission.

The UNAMID force, established in 2007, was the first joint U.N.-AU peacekeeping operation. Its withdrawal is expected to be completed by June 30.

The protesters, mostly displaced women and children, want the peacekeepers to stay.

After the withdrawal decision was announced, tribal clashes in the troubled region killed at least 15 people, forcing authorities to deploy more troops, the state-run news agency reported.

The unrest poses a challenge to authorities in the capital, Khartoum, who are trying to end the country's long-running rebellions as part of a fragile transition to democracy following last year's overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir.

Adam Regal, a spokesman for a local organization that helps run refugee camps in Darfur, said the UNAMID exit would create a “security vacuum” in a region with several active militia groups.