There has been renewed violence in Darfur. Between August 19 and August 16, several refugee camps were attacked and looted by unidentified gunmen. One Sudanese policeman was killed trying to stop the looting at the Zam Zam Camp in North Darfur. The Kalma IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp was also attacked. Kalma is in South Darfur. On August 14 another group of gunmen attacked a village near Nyala (capital of South Darfur) and killed four people. Despite these new reports of violence, the UN contends that the "overall level of violence" has dropped during the summer. The UN believes this is due to an increase in peacekeepers (most supplied by the African Union) and more police. One report characterized the violence in August as "banditry." UN and NGO convoys continue to be harassed and occasionally robbed.
