Darfur's food supplies 'low'

2005-05-25 21:46

Geneva - Food supplies for millions of people in Sudan's strife-torn region of Darfur are running critically low, warned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday.

The ICRC said the region was set for chronic food shortages because farmers had not been able to sow crops ahead of the forthcoming rainy season amid ongoing violence in the western region.

It said: "Food supplies in Darfur are running critically low and millions of people there are now dependent on food aid."

The statement added: "A depleted harvest at the end of the year will mean that increasing numbers of people remain completely reliant on humanitarian aid for their survival, trapped in a cycle of dependency for at least another 18 months."

The Geneva-based agency said less than a third of arable land was cultivated last year and the proportion was set to decline further.

Protecting the civilian population

It urged the Sudanese government, militias and local rebels to halt violence that was preventing villagers from tending crops and livestock.

The statement said: "It is ultimately the parties to the conflict in Darfur... who bear full responsibility for protecting the civilian population from the continuing hardships resulting from the conflict."

The humanitarian agency said it would boost food deliveries to 320 000 people in remote and rural areas by one third to 30 000 tons between May and November, and more than double seed deliveries to a total of 50 000 households.

North Darfur state governor Yusef Kibir said on Wednesday that the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur had improved in recent months.

United Nations chief Kofi Annan was due to visit the war-wracked western region on Thursday.

According to aid groups, a rebel uprising in early 2003 prompted the Khartoum government to unleash militias in a long-running scorched-earth campaign in which tens of thousands had died and about two million had fled their homes.

- SAPA