The recent escalation of fighting in western Sudan's Darfur province has led to a crisis in one of the world's most inhospitable regions, with thousands of people fleeing into the desert. Agencies have been able to reach only 15% of people in need, with some three million people remaining beyond access.
The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports: "Half of Darfur's six million people are directly affected by the conflict. The number of people who have fled from Darfur to Chad has nearly doubled to 110,000 in the past three months. More than 700,000 people have been internally displaced in the past year."
OCHA says it has "consistently received reports of systematic raids against civilian populations." It adds: "These attacks have reportedly included burning and looting of villages, large-scale killings, and abductions. Humanitarian workers have also been targeted, with staff being abducted and relief trucks looted."
The UN news service, IRIN, says: "There have been blanket denials of aid to rebel areas for several months, and regular travel bans imposed to government held areas through lack of permits supplied by Khartoum. Since peace talks broke down in mid-December, general insecurity and a breakdown of law and order have also prevented the few agencies already operating in Darfur from doing so effectively."
After mounting international concern, the UN special envoy for humanitarian affairs, Tom Vraalsen, arrived in Khartoum on 12 February to discuss opening up the area for relief operations. OCHA states: "His mission follows up on the promise, made on February 9 by the president, to provide access to aid workers so that they can reach millions of suffering civilians in Darfur region."
Although the government announced that it would now allow aid access, on 16 February the United Nations announced that the area was still too insecure for road access as aid convoys were still being attacked by militias and were at risk from mines.
Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman for World Food Program, says: "All the ingredients for a humanitarian crisis are there—difficult access, not enough food or water, and nightmare logistics."
The crisis in western Sudan could jeopardise the current peace process for southern Sudan, where 21 years of war have killed more than two million people, displaced some five million more, and produced the world's highest malnutrition. Last year the United Nations reported that global malnutrition among the under 5s was 46% in some districts of the Upper Nile region of southern Sudan.
Former governor of Darfur Ahmed Diraige told the BMJ : "The international community has put all its faith in peace talks for the south and been ignoring the genocide in the west. We're told not to mention Darfur as it will upset the negotiations, but there will be no peace in Sudan until all these problems are resolved."