British lawmakers urge Europe, U.S. to do more for Darfur victims

LONDON, July 05, 2004 (AP) — A group of lawmakers urged Europe and the United States Monday to boost aid for victims of the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, saying thousands of people could die without the help.

The lawmakers, who recently returned from a visit to the area, said a shortfall of 80 million to 100 million pounds (US$144 million to US$180 million) was hampering efforts to assist those driven from their homes by what humanitarian workers call a systematic campaign of terror in Darfur.

Every western European government should at least match Britain’s 36 million pounds (US$65 million) in aid and individual Britons should also donate more, the group of four legislators from Britain’s three main political parties said.

“In west and south Darfur, we saw thousands of people who’d fled from their homes,” the group said in a statement. “Many are living in makeshift shelters made from grass and sticks. Many complained to us that emergency food supplies are inadequate.”

The group said thousands of people in the area had no access to health care, clean water or sanitation and hundreds of thousands were at risk of disease and death.

They said Sudan’s government must do more to protect civilians, who have been attacked by militias that have chased more than 1 million people from their homes in the past 16 months.

The group urged Sudan to do all it could to protect civilians, maintain a cease-fire, work on a political solution and contribute to relief efforts.

The lawmakers were Hilton Dawson and David Drew, both of the Labour Party, Liberal Democrat Jenny Tonge and Conservative John Bercow.