Sudanese aid tops £17 million
The Department for International Affairs (DFID) has announced that its aid contributions to Sudan have reached £17.5 million.
The funding is to provide humanitarian aid in the western Sudan area of Dafur.
Dafur has been the scene of heavy fighting between the Sudanese government and its militia and a number of opposition groups.
Though the crisis in Dafur has been largely absent from the news headlines, the International Red Cross has been warning for many months that the region stands on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.
The UN estimates that a million people have been displaced by the fighting, either internally or fleeing to refuge camps in neighbouring Chad.
In addition the people have lost the bulk of last year’s crop and have had no chance to plant this year’s due to ongoing fighting.
The Famine Early Systems Warning Network also warn that seasonal monsoon rains will soon begin in the area, cutting off many of the remote areas.
They argue that: “All efforts should be made to provide refugees and IDPs [internally displaced persons] with shelter and to preposition or distribute relief supplies to last through the rainy season.”
A spokesman for the DFID said: “In recent months the situation has reportedly escalated into a more widespread campaign of violence.
“We have received alarming reports of systematic clearing of areas based on the ethnic origin of the population in that area and civilians have clearly been targeted.”
Outlining the aid given by the UK to Dafur, the Departement said: “The UK commitment has enabled a number of UN and other international agencies to improve their capacity to respond to the crisis inside Darfur, but much remains to be done.
“To support this further, we have also provided personnel to the UN system and a contribution of tarpaulins and blankets to the UN to help ensure that the most needy get access to temporary shelter items before the rains commence. Our financial help has, so far, assisted with water and sanitation, food, nutrition and making medical services available to the displaced, and to their host communities, in Darfur and Eastern Chad.”
The DFID say that they remain extremely concerned by the situation in Dafur and are working to ensure international monitoring on the ground.
In addition they are committed to ensuring that Darfur remains high on the UN’s agenda.
