Red Cross puts W. Sudan crisis on top of agenda

GENEVA, May 30, 2004 (dpa) — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will further increase its aid campaign in Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region, making it its biggest operation worldwide, ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger told the Swiss SonntagsZeitung Sunday.

“Sudan has so far been our third-largest operation after Iraq and Afghanistan. Now Sudan will be the largest, both financially and in terms of the staff involved,” Kellenberger was quoted as saying.

The situation in Darfur was one of the most serious worldwide, Kellenberger said. About one million people were displaced after fleeing from Arab militias, with about 100,000 seeking shelter in neighbouring Chad.

Last week, the ICRC decided almost to double its budget for Sudan, Kellenberger said.

The organization was now planning to send medical personnel, ensure that safe drinking water was available, and provide accommodation for up to 500,000 people. The ICRC would also work to reunite families separated in the crisis.