Sudan

World Food Program warns of starvation in Sudan if aid not forthcoming
Associated Press, April 27, 2000

KHARTOUM, Sudan- Nearly two million Sudanese would face starvation if their food stocks were not replenished by June, the World Food Program warned Thursday.The U.N. agency said in a press release that its food supplies for Sudan were due to run out "at precisely the time they are needed most, at the peak of the hunger season which lasts from April until October." About 1.7 million people depend on the agency's food as they have been left hungry by drought, crop failures, floods and displacement caused by Sudan's 17-year civil war. The most critical shortages are in southern Sudan, where most of the fighting takes place. In January, the agency appealed for dlrs 58 million to supply 100,000 tons of food to Sudan's hungry until the end of the year. However, that appeal netted only about 18 percent of the required aid, the agency said.

International aid efforts for Sudan have been hindered by the civil war in which rebels from the predominantly Christian and animist south are seeking autonomy from the Muslim and Arab north. Nearly 2 million people have died in the fighting and famines. Rebels and pro-government forces have repeatedly launched attacks against aid groups working in the south. In February, four crew and support staff on a U.N. leased plane were kidnapped by pro-government militia who accused them of ferrying rebels aboard the aircraft. The incident led to the suspension of aid flights. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement, which leads the insurrection, demanded that aid groups sign agreements on food distribution by March 1 or leave the region. While 24 groups complied, another 11 organizations -including CARE, Oxfam, World Vision and Save The Children - withdrew staff and suspended their programs. The withdrawal of the 11 groups, which administered about 75 percent of the country's humanitarian aid, affected about dlrs 30 million worth of aid and an estimated 1.5 million Sudanese.