AFRICA/SUDAN - Darfur: huge humanitarian tragedy. More than 2 million refugees and internally displaced persons

Monday, 7 June 2004

Khartoum (Fides Service)- While the process for peace in Southern Sudan advances the emergency continues in the west region of Darfur, where fighting is causing tremendous suffering to civilians. On Saturday 5 June, in Nairobi Ali Osman Taha Sudanese vice president and John Garang, leader of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army signed a declaration launching the last stage in peace talks for southern Sudan. Nevertheless tension is still high in Darfur where the regular army aided by pro-government militia continues to fight two rebels movements demanding more attention for the region, which they claim is ‘neglected’ by the central government.
Despite the cease fire announced by the government humanitarian agencies say villages are being bombed by planes and helicopters. The international community estimates that in Darfur 236 million dollars are needed to assist more than 2 million internally displaced persons and refugees. So far only 126 million dollars have been found. The situation is now a huge humanitarian tragedy.
The Sudanese government has allowed humanitarian organisations into the conflict area. Yesterday 6 June, 16 humanitarian workers were taken hostage by the Army for the Liberation of Sudan, one of the group opposed to the central government. The hostages were later released.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR has opened a new camp for Sudanese refugees in Chad. The new camp opened at Djabal is the 8th such camp in east Chad and the 2nd in the southern part of some 600 km of borderland affected by the exodus. UNHCR is working to increase transport capacity in southern most are affected by the flux of people, where the rain season has started making many roads useless and preventing access to areas where there are refugees.
According to UNHCR the flow is constant and to meet the needs of the new refugees it is sending additional personnel and increased truck transport capacity in order to move the refugees to camps as swiftly as possible. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 7/6/2004, righe 34 parole 395)


Share: