French army has sent some 450 tons of aid to Darfur refugees

PARIS, Aug 26, 2004 (dpa) — The French army has sent “nearly 450 tons” of humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing the crisis-hit region of Darfur in western Sudan, the French Defence Ministry said Thursday.

Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said that the aid was being sent in two or three shipments per day to the estimated 180,000 Darfur refugees sheltered in eastern Chad.

“This emergency aid has led to an improvement of the situation,” Bureau told journalists in Paris.

The 18-month conflict in Darfur has claimed up to 50,000 lives and forced more than 1.2 million people to flee from their homes.

In addition, some 200 French soldiers are assisting Chad’s military in patrolling its border with Sudan, Bureau said.