DISPLACEMENT RISES, ACCESS DECLINES IN SUDAN, SAYS UN HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE

DISPLACEMENT RISES, ACCESS DECLINES IN SUDAN, SAYS UN HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE

NEW YORK, 7 November (OCHA) -- The humanitarian situation in the Greater Darfur Region of western Sudan may emerge as the worst humanitarian crisis in the Sudan since 1988, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.  Insecurity continues, humanitarian access is, in some cases, non-existent, and there are few aid workers in the area.

In spite of the ceasefire agreements between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), humanitarian access is uneven due to insecurity and travel permit restrictions.  New regulations about travel permits that entered into force on 1 October 2003 have not been followed consistently.  As a result, travel procedures remain slow and cumbersome and, in some cases, permission is withheld.

“A humanitarian clause should be added to the currently negotiated peace agreement, allowing for unimpeded access to all vulnerable populations and for the protection of beneficiaries and humanitarian personnel”, said Humanitarian Coordinator Mukesh Kapila.

The number of displaced people continues to increase since the escalation of armed conflict in the region in February 2003.  The estimated 500,000 to 600,000 new displaced live in North, South and West Darfur.  Seventy thousand people have sought refuge in Chad, and 1 million others have been affected by the war.  Kutum and Kebkabya in North Darfur host the majority of the new internally displaced persons.

So far, humanitarian assistance has been insufficient, especially the provision of non-food assistance, water and sanitation.  In some cases, aid has reached only people in and around the cities.  Comprehensive needs assessments, nutrition surveys, and monitoring and evaluation programmes cannot be carried out due to access and security constraints.

Urgent funding is required to provide to new internally displaced persons in North, South and West Darfur shelter materials, food aid, water supplies, sanitation, health care, education, and agricultural inputs.  On 15 September, the United Nations announced a $22.8 million plan for future humanitarian operations called the Greater Darfur Special Initiative.  The initiative aims to accelerate humanitarian relief for the most vulnerable.

With an estimated 4 million people currently internally displaced, the Sudan is home to the world's largest internally displaced population.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHA NY, tel.:  917-367-5126, mobile:  917-892-1679; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA Geneva, tel.:  41 22 917 26 53; mobile:  41 (O) 79 473 45 70.

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