UN’s Homes urges to focus on ways to bridge relief gaps in Darfur
March 26, 2009 (NEW YORK) — The U.N.’s top relief official today appealed to the international to focus its efforts on best ways to bridge the humanitarian gaps resulted of the eviction of 13 aid groups from the Darfur.
“Whatever our sense of outrage at the Government’s decision to remove, in such a fashion, organizations whose reputation and expertise have been built over years of dedicated service in humanitarian crises around the world, we must do all we can to prevent extra suffering for those in need as a result of this decision,” Holmes told the 15-member body.
Sudan expelled 13 foreign aid groups from Darfur and dissolved three other national groups on March 4, immediately after the announcement of the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision to arrest the President Omer Al-Bashir over crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Sudanese government and the UN carried out an assessment on the impact of the eviction of these groups between 11 and 19 March. In a 51 page report released last Tuesday, the assessment discovered gaps in food aid; health and nutrition; non-food items and shelter; and water, sanitation and hygiene.
It also revealed that the lack of capacity on the ground to cover these gaps properly, despite the best efforts of those remaining in Darfur and various Government bodies, Holmes stressed.
“In short, while these efforts can plug some of the biggest holes for the next few weeks, the cumulative effects over time of the removal of such a large amount of humanitarian capacity significantly increase the risks to well over a million people,” he warned. “This is why we have been urging that the Government’s decision should be reversed.”
He further said that the assessment provides only a “snapshot” and in no way provides a comprehensive picture of the overall humanitarian situation in Darfur, where conflict continues and 65,000 people have been newly displaced so far this year.
An estimated 300,000 people have died and another 3 million have been displaced in the region, where rebels have been fighting Government forces and allied Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed, since 2003.
Holmes stressed the urgent need to “re-establish an atmosphere of trust and mutual confidence with the Government,” which includes the need for a legal and technical framework for humanitarian work in the country that is consistently applied.
The risks of negative consequences of the Government’s decision also extend beyond Darfur into other parts of Sudan where NGOs play a critical role in the provision of life-saving assistance, as well as beyond Sudan into the sub-region, he warned.