Continua a crise humanitária em Darfur
Em Darfur, no Sudão, perpetua-se a crise humanitária. É a total falta de dignidade do Ser Humano.
Thousands in Darfur have no food
Increasing violence has left hundreds of thousands of civilians in Sudan's Darfur region without food and facing the prospect of widespread disease and death within weeks, the UN humanitarian chief said Monday.
Jan Egeland said he fears that Darfur is returning to "the abyss" of early 2004 when the region was "the killing fields of this world." Since that time, he said, the UN humanitarian operation in the region has succeeded in saving lives.
But "2006 seems to be bringing us back to 2004," Egeland warned. "We're losing ground every day in the humanitarian operation which is the lifeline for more than 3 million people."
The primary reason, he said, is the growing insecurity for tens of thousands of civilians and the 14,000 unarmed humanitarian workers who are facing increasing violence from Arab militias, rebels, government forces and bandits, he said.
As a result, Egeland said, UN relief officials and relief organizations cannot reach more than 300,000 people on the Chad border in western Darfur and the central mountainous region of Jebal Marra because they are too dangerous.
These unreachable areas, he said, "will soon get massively increased mortality because there is nothing else but international assistance." He expected deaths to increase markedly within weeks.
At least 180,000 people have died - some estimates are far higher - and some 2 million have been displaced since the start of a 2003 revolt by rebels from Darfur's ethnic African population.
The Arab-dominated Sudanese government is alleged to have responded to the revolt by unleashing the Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, who carried out sweeping atrocities against ethnic African villagers.
Egeland said the cycle of violence could be broken immediately if the government and rebels agree to a cease-fire proposal put forward Sunday by African Union mediators.
The African Union decided Friday to extend the mandate of its 7,000-strong force in Darfur for six months, when the United Nations is expected to take over. Egeland called for funding and logistical support, including helicopters, for the AU force so it can operate more effectively and try to prevent attacks and disarm the groups responsible.
He also called for more money from international donors for the 3 million people who need food, water and health services in Darfur - and 3 million others elsewhere in the country who need humanitarian relief. Donors have provided only one-fifth of the $1.7 billion the UN sought for Sudan this year, including about $650 million for Darfur.
"It's a test case for the world for having no more Rwandas and no more massive loss of innocent lives," he said.
Equally important, Egeland said, is security.
"There are tens of thousands of new displacements, both in Darfur and on the other side of border in Chad," Egeland said. "And there are attacks against humanitarian workers every week, again and again. Our colleagues are being hijacked, harassed, kidnapped. Our cars are being looted and it's become routine - and it is an outrage."
- United Nations (UN)
Thousands in Darfur have no food
Increasing violence has left hundreds of thousands of civilians in Sudan's Darfur region without food and facing the prospect of widespread disease and death within weeks, the UN humanitarian chief said Monday.
Jan Egeland said he fears that Darfur is returning to "the abyss" of early 2004 when the region was "the killing fields of this world." Since that time, he said, the UN humanitarian operation in the region has succeeded in saving lives.
But "2006 seems to be bringing us back to 2004," Egeland warned. "We're losing ground every day in the humanitarian operation which is the lifeline for more than 3 million people."
The primary reason, he said, is the growing insecurity for tens of thousands of civilians and the 14,000 unarmed humanitarian workers who are facing increasing violence from Arab militias, rebels, government forces and bandits, he said.
As a result, Egeland said, UN relief officials and relief organizations cannot reach more than 300,000 people on the Chad border in western Darfur and the central mountainous region of Jebal Marra because they are too dangerous.
These unreachable areas, he said, "will soon get massively increased mortality because there is nothing else but international assistance." He expected deaths to increase markedly within weeks.
At least 180,000 people have died - some estimates are far higher - and some 2 million have been displaced since the start of a 2003 revolt by rebels from Darfur's ethnic African population.
The Arab-dominated Sudanese government is alleged to have responded to the revolt by unleashing the Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, who carried out sweeping atrocities against ethnic African villagers.
Egeland said the cycle of violence could be broken immediately if the government and rebels agree to a cease-fire proposal put forward Sunday by African Union mediators.
The African Union decided Friday to extend the mandate of its 7,000-strong force in Darfur for six months, when the United Nations is expected to take over. Egeland called for funding and logistical support, including helicopters, for the AU force so it can operate more effectively and try to prevent attacks and disarm the groups responsible.
He also called for more money from international donors for the 3 million people who need food, water and health services in Darfur - and 3 million others elsewhere in the country who need humanitarian relief. Donors have provided only one-fifth of the $1.7 billion the UN sought for Sudan this year, including about $650 million for Darfur.
"It's a test case for the world for having no more Rwandas and no more massive loss of innocent lives," he said.
Equally important, Egeland said, is security.
"There are tens of thousands of new displacements, both in Darfur and on the other side of border in Chad," Egeland said. "And there are attacks against humanitarian workers every week, again and again. Our colleagues are being hijacked, harassed, kidnapped. Our cars are being looted and it's become routine - and it is an outrage."
- United Nations (UN)
publicado por MP às 12:43
