DARFUR:

The situation on the ground in Darfur has been rapidly deteriorating since early February 2008, with alarming levels of violence spreading through the region. More than ten thousand Darfurian civilians have been displaced during the past month, with many estimates now putting the total number of displaced at 3 million over the past 5 years.

The UN Secretary-General has renewed calls to the international community for peacekeeping troops and contributions to the UNAMID peacekeeping mission which still requires more than 15,000 troops, as well as much needed helicopters, armored vehicles, and other logistical support. Whilst some additional contributions have been offered, Russian helicopters and troops are expected in May, further engagement within the UN is urgently needed to secure the necessary troops and logistical support.

The UN refugee agency estimate that by the end of February more than 13,000 refugees have been forced to flee to dangerous areas of neighboring Chad in an attempt to escape the new wave of air and ground attacks by government forces in West Darfur. The renewed attacks on Darfurian civilians have forced them to move towards volatile areas in eastern Chad which cannot be served by assistance missions due to the lack of necessary protection for convoys. The increasing dangers on the ground in Darfur have also impacted on the distribution of aid, particularly water, to IDP and refugee camps housing hundreds of thousands of Darfurian civilians throughout Darfur and eastern Chad.

It is essential that the Sudanese army stops these attacks immediately, to stop the violence and allow assistance missions to resume. Furthermore, the full 26,000 UNAMID peacekeepers must be expeditiously deployed to the region with the necessary equipment and logistical support. UN member states must engage diplomatically to resolve the current shortfall and place all available economic and political pressure on the Government of Sudan to stop the violence in Darfur.

For more information on the history of the Darfur crisis, visit the following pages: