HUMANITARIAN SITUATION WORSENS IN DARFUR, SUDAN

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION WORSENS IN DARFUR, SUDAN

New York, 30 March (OCHA) -– Civilians in Darfur, Sudan, who continue to be attacked by armed groups, also now face shortages of water and outbreaks of communicable diseases such as measles.

Internally displaced persons continue to face repeated attacks and looting of humanitarian aid.  Indiscriminate killings, gang rapes, abductions, looting, forced migration and general intimidation are reportedly occurring on a daily basis and are widespread throughout the region.

Attacks against civilians are forcing internally displaced persons to congregate in larger and more urban areas, which increases the risk of disease outbreaks.  There have already been reports of up to 30 cases of measles in one location.  Scarce sources of water around which the internally displaced congregate are dwindling rapidly.

Growing needs are overwhelming the current capacity of aid groups, who are strengthening their staff and material resources and pre-positioning stocks.  Aid agencies in the area report that violence limits their ability to sufficiently assess the needs of internally displaced persons.

Since fighting between rebel groups, armed militia, and the Government of the Sudan intensified roughly a year ago, the United Nations has consistently received reports of systematic raids against civilian populations.  These attacks have reportedly included the burning and looting of villages, large-scale killings, and abductions.  An estimated 700,000 people have been internally displaced within Darfur.  Because of violence and clearance procedures, the majority of these people have been beyond the reach of humanitarian agencies.  Roughly 110,000 more have fled into neighbouring Chad, where they are able to receive United Nations assistance.

Though humanitarian access to the region has improved slightly, humanitarian operations are still constrained by the volatile security situation.  United Nations agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) conduct needs assessments, and deliver food, water, and health and shelter materials as security conditions allow.  In Chad, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, other United Nations humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organization partners are rendering assistance to refugees.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHANY, tel.: 917 367 5126, mobile: 917 892 1679; or Elizabeth Byrs, OCHA Geneva, tel.: 41 22 917 2653, mobile: 41(0) 79 473 4570.

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