Humanitarian agencies, Darfur rebels meet in Geneva
July 30, 2009 (GENEVA) – A rebel delegation from one of the main rebel groups met this week in Geneva with relief agencies to discuss ways to improve humanitarian conditions in the war-ravaged region of Darfur.
The two-day meeting with a delegation from the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur was part of a series of humanitarian consultations with rebel movements in Darfur, said a statement issued by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD). It is supported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“The meeting was exclusively dedicated to discuss the terrible humanitarian situation in Darfur and to see how we can help aid agencies and groups to reach isolated population in Darfur,” said the leader of the rebel delegation Youssef Isaac Yahia, one of the close aides to Al-Nur.
“Actually humanitarian situation is very bad even before the eviction of 13 aid groups from Darfur last March,” he added.
During the meetings of Wednesday and Thursday 29-30 July, the two parties discussed hijackings of relief aid, abductions of aid workers and attacks, the situation in IDPs camps and humanitarian needs.
The rebel delegation also met with representatives of donor countries.
Yahia said another high ranking meeting attended by the SLM leader Al-Nur will be held in the upcoming weeks with the donors and the aid groups to discuss security of aid workers and safe access to the isolated civilians.
Last year, the HD centre organized similar meetings in Geneva with other rebel groups, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and SLM Unity.
The centre said planning for further consultations with the Government and other movements in the region in the coming months.
(ST)