KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A joint African Union-United Nations operation is providing emergency assistance to an area in Sudan’s South Darfur region where 16 people died as a result of mudslides earlier this month, the mission said on Monday.

The mudslides in early September hit the Wadi Tuliba and Tagulei villages, in the East Jebel Marra area.

“Some injuries, illnesses, destruction of homes and loss of livestock were also reported among the affected population,” the joint UNAMID mission said in a statement, adding that 76 families had been displaced.

The statement provided the first confirmed death toll from the landslides.

Both Sudan’s government and the Sudan Liberation Army - Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) were cooperating with the aid mission, UNAMID said.

The area has been the site of conflict between Sudanese government forces and those loyal to rebel leader Abdulwahid Nour, with occasional skirmishes taking place in recent months.

Conflict between government forces and militias and other armed rebel groups in Darfur has left tens if not hundreds of thousands of Darfuris dead and displaced nearly 2 million, according to UNAMID.

A unilateral ceasefire has been in place in Darfur for the past three years and fighting has subsided.