Saudi Arabia pledges 10.7 million dollars in humanitarian aid to Darfur

RIYADH, Aug 14 (AFP) — Saudi Arabia has promised humanitarian aid worth 40 million riyals (10.7 million dollars) to Sudan’s western region of Darfur, newspapers reported Saturday.

“The kingdom has allocated 40 million riyals worth of basic humanitarian aid to the region of Darfur. This includes food and medicines,” Abdul Rahman al-Sewilem, the head of the Saudi Red Crescent, was quoted as saying.

Sewilem said three aircraft will fly Sunday from Riyadh to Darfur, carrying 70 tonnes of food and medicines, in addition to a medical team.

The kingdom had voiced support for the efforts by the Sudanese government and the African Union to end the conflict in Darfur.

Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz called on August 2 for “refraining from using the language of threats which complicates things”.

On July 30, the UN Security Council gave the Sudanese government 30 days to bring under control the situation in Darfur.

Khartoum has been accused of permitting atrocities by allied Arab militia against civilians to quash a rebel movement drawn from the black non-Arab African population.

The conflict, described by UN agencies as the trigger for currently the world’s worst current humanitarian crisis, has claimed up to 50,000 lives and driven more than a million people from their homes.