UNAMID, East Darfur government discuss humanitarian aid

April 7, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Governor of East Darfur State Anas Omer and the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Head-of-Office Sector East, Landing Badjie, on Saturday discussed ways to provide humanitarian assistance in the state.

During the meeting which was also attended by the humanitarian aid partners and the UN agencies, Omer said the development projects in the state aim to provide the basic services and ensure equity in order to maintain security.

He stressed the need to coordinate with the UNAMID maintain security and promote peaceful coexistence among the various tribes in the state.

The governor demanded the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide educational services according to the plan of the Ministry of Education besides coordinating and cooperating with other agencies.

He also pointed to the need for coordination between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health to provide health services including the building of laboratories, detection of contamination in drinking water as well as addressing epidemics.

For his part, the acting humanitarian commissioner in East Darfur Mohamed Ahmed said the meeting discussed issues pertaining to the performance of aid groups operating in the state.

He demanded the aid groups to focus on the provision of development aid instead of humanitarian assistance.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)