UN concerned about new violence on Chad-Sudan border

Mar 25, 2006 (NAIROBI) — UN World Food Program (WFP) has warned that an escalation of the violence along the Chadian borderwith Sudan’s Darfur region, which has forced thousands of people to leave their homes, could seriously impede humanitarian assistance.

In a statement received here Saturday, WFP said “It is clear that the security situation along the border has deteriorated in recent weeks.”

“WFP is coordinating with partners, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, to ensure the situation is closely monitored. But the longer the insecurity in the area persists, themore serious the situation will become,” it said.

An initial WFP assessment of the most affected areas in the eastern Chad border zone indicated that most people affected by the recent violence had enough food for another month or two, largely because the last harvest was one of the best in recent years.

“But after that, things are far less certain. Financially, our operation in eastern Chad is already clinging on by its fingertips– significant new requirements will require significant new resources from our donors,” said the statement

(Xinhua)