Britain to grant 27 million dollars in extra humanitarian aid for Darfur

KHARTOUM, June 8 (AFP) — Britain is to give an extra 15 million pounds (27 million dollars) in relief aid to Sudan’s crisis-hit Darfur region, international development secretary Hilary Benn said.

“This is the most serious humanitarian emergency in the world today,” Benn told a press conference in the Sudanese capital after talks with government officials.

He said Britain’s latest contribution will bring to 36.5 million pounds its total relief aid to the troubled region of western Sudan since September.

According to UN figures, at least 10,000 people have died and an estimated one million have fled their homes in the 15-month conflict in Darfur between rebels and government forces.

Benn said he had urged the Sudanese government, which has been widely condemned for its fierce response to the rebellion, to take “effective and decisive action to stop the situation deteriorating” in Darfur.

He told reporters he had been given assurances by the Sudanese minister of humanitarian affairs that the government would fast-track the delivery of aid and allow international agencies to carry out their work.

Benn had earlier said the international community had been “far too slow” to respond to the crisis and urged them to “act now … to save people’s lives.”

“People need water, they need sanitation, they need somewhere to live,” he said. “They need medicines and healthcare because if we don’t do those things, there is a risk that a lot of people are going to die.”

The United Nations has warned that the crisis in Darfur would worsen unless relief assistance arrived before the start of the rainy season this month.

Some humanitarian agencies have warned that the region risks mass starvation.