UN reports progress in Darfur
2006-10-11 15:27
Khartoum - Food aid has reached tens of thousands of people who have been cut off in recent months in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, says the World Food Programme.
The United Nations food agency said: "The number of people not reached has been dropping steadily from 470 000 in July to 355 000 in August and now 224 000."
However, the WFP warned that the situation was dire for those who still had no access to relief and that the humanitarian disaster could be compounded by dwindling local supplies in the period preceding harvest.
It said: "While heartened by this improvement, among the 224 000 not reached last month are 139 000 who have gone without food aid for four months."
WFP representative in Sudan Kenro Oshidari said: "The situation is especially serious because we are in the annual 'hunger season' just before the harvest, when there is very little food available."
At least 200 000 people had died from fighting, famine and disease, and more than two million had fled their homes in Darfur since fighting began between local rebels and pro-government militia in February 2003.