Darfur violence kills 221 in June

A total of 221 people died in tribal fighting and other violence in Sudan's Darfur in June, peacekeepers said on Sunday, as the region's two main rebels groups continued to shun peace talks. Violence has spiked in the arid western territory since the insurgent Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) suspended its participation in negotiations in Qatar in early May.
The fighting, which surged in 2003 when mostly non-Arab rebels demanding more autonomy took up arms, has persisted in the face of a series of failed cease-fires and diplomatic pressure from Washington and other powers. Nearly 140 of the deaths had been caused by tribal clashes, sparked by long running feuds between the rival Arab Rizeigat and Nawaiba groups, it added.