[allAfrica.com] [celtel.com] Humanitarian Aid Blocked in Western Sudan, Say Agencies, and May Be 'Too Little, Too Late' Church World Service (New York) PRESS RELEASE June 14, 2004 Posted to the web June 18, 2004 New York/Nairobi Church World Service Calls for Peacekeeping Force, Safe Corridor Calling the situation in Sudan¹s Darfur region "extremely grave," the leader of a Church World Service supported assessment team said that protection and security are just as important concerns now as food assistance in the wartorn area. The group returned from a week-long assessment mission in Sudan. The humanitarian team affirmed the view of the United Nations and other international organizations that the situation in Darfur is the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. "The needs in Darfur and Chad are immense under any circumstances, but with the recalcitrance of the Sudanese government, the situation is of untenable and tragic proportions," said Daniel Tyler of humanitarian agency Church World Service¹s office in Nairobi, Kenya. Tyler was a member of the assessment team, along with Kenneth Duku of the Sudan Council of Churches. The conflict in Western Sudan has displaced more than one million and caused some 130,000 to flee into neighboring Chad as refugees. More than 67,000 displaced people are camped in public buildings and open areas. "Everything I¹ve seen and everyone I¹ve met ­ aid workers, refugees ­ all of it points in the wrong direction," said Nils Carstensen of Church World Service partner DanChurchAid in Copenhagen, on behalf of the international emergency response coalition Action by Churches Together. Even if the government of Sudan eases the restrictions on humanitarian aid organizations, Carstensen noted that what they would be able to do may be "too little, too late. The situation will get worse," he said. "Time is running against us. It will take several months at best to gear up." Carstensen urged the international humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) to wage a battle of advocacy ­ "to gather enough political and diplomatic pressure against the government of Sudan to ensure protection (of Darfur¹s displaced people)," he said. Rev. John L. McCullough, executive director and CEO of Church World Service, announced today that the agency is calling for: - The government of Sudan to halt the killing, disarm the militia, and allow full, unimpeded access for humanitarian workers and supplies. - The establishment of a peacekeeping force by an international body ­ the United Nations and/or the African Union ­ to restore order and provide protection for refugees and humanitarian and relief workers. - The government of Sudan to provide full access to humanitarian groups into Darfur, and to facilitate humanitarian assistance to affected populations by making all government resources available for the delivery of aid. New York-headquartered Church World Service is already urging U.S. citizens to speak out, contact their congressional representatives, and call for these immediate measures. The biggest issue, says DanChurchAid¹s Carstensen, is lack of protection. "People fled their villages after being attacked, [having their families] killed or raped, and ran to places where they hoped to get better protection," he said, yet the Janjaweed, a militia group allied with the government, is still carrying out attacks. The lack of protection," Carstensen explained, "poses serious problems for both the displaced people who are restricted in carrying out their daily tasks and humanitarian aid workers who are prevented from accessing many of the uprooted groups." CWS¹ Tyler added that providing material aid to groups in places where there is no protection puts the vulnerable refugees in further danger, since the Janjaweed often raid those groups and steal goods they see as valuable. Another major factor that could contribute to the deepening of the crisis is time. "As the rainy season advances northward over the Darfur region, access to the one million displaced persons will become extremely difficult. A majority of the region could be cut off from most outside help within five weeks. Many will be left without food, shelter and basic medicine," CWS¹ McCullough noted. CWS, Partners Consolidating Emergency Response Action in Region CWS and other agencies are assisting victims of the conflict in southern and western Darfur through emergency distributions of blankets, kitchen utensils, seeds and other non-food items, as well as a health program. CWS and ACT partners are working to consolidate current activities at four sites in the Darfur region: in Nyala, Mershing, Taasha and Zalingi. They plan to increase these activities in the next few weeks, but work will depend on access to the area and security, according to Tyler. A shipment will arrive in Nyala as soon as possible, delivering non-food items for 3,000 people that include jerry cans, women's clothing, sanitary kits, and cooking utensils. Most activities are taking place at Mershing, where a health clinic will be established and operating in the next few days, according to Tyler. Nearby, Tyler continues, aid workers will build a school with temporary materials that will accommodate 500 students in six classrooms. Two water hand pumps have already been installed in Mershing, he notes, with an additional three planned. 230 single-family shelters are being erected, and pit latrines have been installed. Tyler says aid workers obtained materials to rehabilitate a school and health center at Taasha and agencies will supply families with 200 farm implements. As this location seems more secure than others, displaced persons are returning there. At Zalingi, two schools will be erected from temporary materials, pit latrines constructed, and non-food items distributed. CWS to Mark World Refugee Day, June 20, with Grassroots, Faith Call to Advocate for Affected Sudanese Children, Families Father¹s Day and World Refugee Day both fall on June 20, prompting Church World Service to activate its grassroots and congregational constituency in advocating for international action on Sudan in commemoration of the children and families affected. Peace accords currently being finalized in Sudan do not cover the region of Darfur. On June 3, Amnesty International released stories of victims of the war in Darfur. Says one refugee father, "As long as the safety of my family is not guaranteed, I don¹t wish to go home." "I was at home when the military came along with the Janjaweed on horseback and on camels. They surrounded the village, set fire to houses and shot at people. My brother was killed in front of me." (a refugee in Chad) "As we left the village, the military came with the Arabs and the airplanes dropped the bombs. Now I don¹t know where my mother and father are; I don¹t know if the military killed them or what happened to them. Our village is burnt." (a teenager in a field hospital in Chad) Says one father, "My son Abdel Qader, who is eight, was injured on the right hand by a bomb. He was near the house, herding goats. The planes came, dropped bombs, and the fire coming from the bombs cut his hand. Another young boy was injured. We ran away to Tine, Chad."   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2004 Church World Service. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================