Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- The United Nations Organisation has called on the international community to raise 1.5 billion dollars for urgently needed humanitarian intervention in Sudan. The appeal was issued by the Office of the UN General Secretariat special representative for Sudan. The funds are needed for “2005 Development Programmes” for humanitarian aid, protection and development projects in southern Sudan and in Darfur, besides programmes in support of the peace process. More than 600 million dollars will go to the western region of Darfur the scene of a humanitarian crisis and fighting and where 1.6 million people are homeless.
About 550 million will go to the south, where the Sudanese army and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army have fought for more than 20 years and are now committed to signing a peace agreement before the end of this year.
Darfur is at the centre of attention for international humanitarian agencies as it emerges from a media conference on 30 November given by the American Ambassador to the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture, FAO, Tony P. Hall. Ambassador Hall has just returned from Darfur where he visited a number of refugee camps. The Ambassador went after the FAO sent 5.500 tonnes of food aid to Darfur, a gift from the United States. “This was a history making event because for the first time the United States and Libya worked together on a humanitarian programme of this scope” said Ambassador Hall. The goods reached the port of Bengasi from where they were sent to refugee camps in Darfur via Kufra oasis. Libya was the best path. Port Sudan or Cameroon would have been impracticable since this is the rain season. The Libyan route was all through desert land, as it was seen in a short documentary shown during the press conference. The Ambassador summarised the situation of refugees in more than 130 camps in the region in three words: fear, insecurity, scarcity of food. People live in fear, they have seen too much violence and trust neither government nor rebels. Lack of security which affects mainly the most vulnerable, women in particular is another source of fear. Ambassador Hall spoke to many women who told of rape and other violence. With regard to food supplies, Ambassador Hall said that no less than 300,000 people in northern Darfur 300.000 are without food due to extremely precarious security conditions which prevent humanitarian organisations for operating in the area. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 1/12/2004 righe 37 parole 470)
