IRIN
SUDAN: Number of IDPs in Darfur now 1 million, says UN
21 April 2004


NAIROBI, 21 April (IRIN) - The number of internally displaced persons
(IDPs) in Sudan's western region of Darfur has risen to one million, the
United Nations said on Tuesday.

In a report issued in New York, the UN's Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the situation in Darfur was
compounded by shortfalls of shelter, clean water, food and health-care
supplies. It warned that "all funds contributed for relief efforts in
Darfur so far have already been exhausted", noting that the UN expected to
revise its humanitarian appeal for the region beyond the US $115 million
requested earlier this month.

OCHA quoted the UN's country team in Sudan as reporting that shelter
materials for IDPs in Darfur were now "completely exhausted". Many IDP
settlements were in remote areas without access to water points and
therefore needed "urgent emergency water deliveries". The team warned that
this situation, coupled with the problem of overcrowding, was "likely" to
lead to outbreaks of cholera, meningitis, measles and diarrhoea.

According to the report, existing food stocks were dwindling and would
"need urgent replenishment". It noted that IDPs and vulnerable groups
which had access to land would need to prepare it for cultivation before
the rainy season started in June. "If humanitarian groups cannot urgently
provide farmers with seeds and tools for planting, food insecurity and
thus humanitarian needs will increase," it said.

Darfur was also affected by a health crisis, which was compounded by
insufficient supplies of essential drugs, OCHA added. Children under the
age of five years, minors separated from their families, and pregnant and
lactating women were among the most vulnerable people among the IDPs as
well as the resident population. Infant and maternal mortality had risen
sharply.

Meanwhile, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has
announced a contribution of an additional 30,000 mt of emergency food aid,
worth US $27.1 million, to the World Food Programme for distribution in
Darfur.

USAID said in a statement that its announcement followed the declaration
(on 11 April) of a ceasefire between the government and two rebel groups
in Darfur, "which includes a pledge to guarantee safe passage of
humanitarian aid to Darfur".


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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004


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