The United Nations is withdrawing all of its international staff in part of western Sudan, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday.

It made the decision after receiving a threat from Arab militias, called Janjaweed, in the country's Darfur region.

The militia seized one of the UN trucks and told the driver they will target all foreigners and humanitarian convoys in the area.




UN staff in the region have been pulled back to El-Geneina, the state capital of West Darfur state on the border with Chad.

The Khartoum government has admitted to arming some militia in early 2003, but it denies any links to the Janjaweed and it calls them outlaws.

The UN estimates about 180,000 people have died in violence in the Darfur region since October 2003, two-and-a-half times the previous estimate.

At least 1.8 million people have been forced from their homes in Darfur since early 2003 when rebels took up arms against the Sudanese government.