UN: Almost half a million people in Darfur displaced in 2014

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A new report from the U.N. secretary-general says nearly half a million people were displaced in Darfur last year, the highest number in a decade for the chaotic region of western Sudan.

Ban Ki-moon's latest update on Darfur comes as the U.N. begins meeting with Sudanese officials on plans for an exit strategy for the 20,000-plus peacekeeping mission.

Tensions have been high between the U.N. and Sudan, especially over a Human Rights Watch-documented mass rape of more than 220 women and girls in a Darfur village last year. The report blamed Sudanese army troops, while Sudan said its own investigation found not "a single case of rape."

Ban's report, posted online today, says he deeply regrets that the U.N. has not been able to access the village, called Tabit.

More than 450,000 people were displaced throughout Darfur last year, the most since 2004.