Many to starve in Sudan despite peace hopes – U.S.

By Nima Elbagir

KHARTOUM, March 24 (Reuters) – Many people made homeless by a year-long rebellion in Sudan’s western Darfur region face certain death by starvation, even if moves towards a ceasefire are successful, a senior U.S. official warned on Wednesday.

Two rebel groups, which launched a revolt in February last year accusing Khartoum of neglecting Darfur and arming Arab militias who loot African villages, have agreed to join the government for peace talks in neighbouring Chad next week.

U.N. officials estimate that the war has displaced up to one million people, with more than 100,000 refugees fleeing to Chad.

Roger Winter, assistant administrator of the U.S. government’s Agency for International Development (US AID), told reporters food shortages were inevitable because so many people had left their land, been robbed or had no seeds left.

“We believe the conflict there is so severe that a substantial number of people are going to be affected by severe food shortages.”

“Even if there was a ceasefire arranged at this meeting in Chad, still a large number of people would die,” he said on a visit to the country, without giving an estimate of the numbers.

He said the United States would take part in the talks but would concentrate on humanitarian aspects such as getting access to the region for aid groups.

“Only with the ceasefire will we be able to do the big humanitarian programme that is needed to sustain the population that has been displaced,” he added.

The United States, United Nations and other groups have been lobbying for access to Darfur, but the Sudanese government says it is not safe and that the rebels could steal the communications equipment of any relief workers.

A U.N. official said last week the militia attacks on Darfur villagers were reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Other U.N. officials have said the humanitarian disaster in Darfur is the worst that the world now faces.