U.N. official: One million people affected by civil strife in western Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Dec 08, 2003 (AP) — One million people have been affected by civil strife in the western Darfur region, including 600,000 who have been displaced, a U.N. envoy said Monday.

“This is a very serious humanitarian situation. We know that people are killed, people are malnourished, and we know that people are sick,” Tom Vraalsen, the U.N. envoy for humanitarian affairs in Sudan, said.

Vraalsen is on a one-week visit to Sudan. He heads south on Tuesday.

U.N. and U.S. officials estimate that at least 7,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands of others forced to flee their homes since fighting began in Darfur earlier this year.

Darfur, close to the Chadian border, is home to nearly a fifth of Sudan’s 30 million people, where recurrent drought has shrunk its once-vast grazing areas.

The situation worsened in Darfur earlier this year when a group demanding self-determination for the region attacked Sudanese government troops. About 70,000 Sudanese have fled into Chad, according to U.N. figures.

“We believe there is close to one million people there who are affected by the current hostilities,” Vraalsen said, including 600,000 who have been displaced from their villages.

“Fighting must stop. That is a precondition for anything to be done,” he added.