US pledges 9 million dollars aid for Darfur refugees in Chad

NDJAMENA, Feb 25 (AFP) — The US government has pledged 9.3 million dollars in aid for people who fled fighting in Sudan’s western Darfur region and sought refuge in neighbouring Chad, the American embassy said.

Part of the money will be immediately disbursed to international aid groups, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which are working with the refugees.

Chad is now home to thousands of refugees who have fled fighting that broke out a year ago between Sudanese government forces and rebels in Darfur.

More than 100,000 refugees live along the border, according to the UNHCR.

At least 3,000 people have been killed and another 670,000 displaced within Sudan itself by the war between rebels drawn mainly from the region’s non-Arab minorities and government troops and their Arab militia allies.

The rebels accuse Khartoum of oppressing black Africans in favour of Arabs.

“The American government is pleased to be able to make a contribution to a humanitarian aid programme which backs the efforts of the Chadian authorities to relieve the suffering of a people in distress and hopes that Chad’s other partners will also contribute to this action,” the US embassy said in a statement.