U.N.: Disease new threat to Sudanese

UUNITED NATIONS, Mar 30, 2004 (UPI) — U.N. agencies said Tuesday the already dire humanitarian situation in the Darfur region of western Sudan has again worsened.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports thousands of internally displaced people now face water shortages and outbreaks of communicable diseases, such as measles.

U.N. agencies have said attacks forced internally displaced people to congregate in larger or more populated areas, increasing the occurrence of diseases and depleting scarce water supplies, with 30 measles cases reported in just one location.

OCHA also said attacks against civilians were reportedly occurring daily across the entire region.

Approximately 750,000 Sudanese have become internally displaced since fighting erupted early last year between the Sudanese government, allied militias, and rebel groups. Another 110,000 people have fled westward, across the border into neighboring Chad.

There have been indiscriminate killings of civilians, gang rapes, looting of private property and humanitarian aid, burning of villages, abductions, forced migration and general intimidation, OCHA said.