UN Food Deliveries Rise In Darfur

Despite Attacks, UN Food Deliveries Rise In Sudan's War-Torn Darfur Region

Despite attacks, theft and sabotage dogging its efforts to reach 2 million hungry people, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) delivered 1.6 million tons of food to the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan in February, a 34 per cent increase over January, the agency announced today.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and almost 2 million forced from their homes since fighting erupted in Darfur between the Sudanese Government, allied militias and rebels in 2003, and last week Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the world to move faster to deal with the "appalling situation," with reports of killing, rape and burning still flowing in.

WFP stressed that 25 million tons of food needed to be delivered before the start of the rainy season in June.

As an example of the security problems it noted that on 7 March an aid convoy was attacked, but all six personnel, one of whom was injured, were now free.

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