US pledges humanitarian assistance for the displaced

KHARTOUM, Aug 30 (AFP) — East Africans forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict will receive assistance from the United States, deputy USAID director Roger Winter said here Saturday.

Speaking at a conference on internally displaced persons (IDP), Winter said his country was willing to help the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries with IDP populations provided they “observe human rights and try to solve internal conflicts”.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail, the current chairman of the IGAD council of ministers, called on the international community to help IGAD member states with IDP populations.

He also appealed to IGAD member states to try to settle their internal armed conflicts, which he said were the primary motives for displacement.

IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Attalla Hamad Bashir noted that all seven IGAD member states had IDP populations ranging from about 60,000 in Eritrea to some four million in Sudan.