Fact Sheet
Humanitarian Assistance for Darfur , Sudan
24 June 2004

The United Nations and international relief organizations have been mobilizing to provide food, shelter, water and other life-saving assistance to one million displaced persons affected by the conflict in Darfur , as well as an estimated 150,000 refugees in Chad. The United Nations first launched a humanitarian appeal for Darfur in September 2003 and estimates that a total of 2.2 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2004. Significant progress has been made in many areas in recent weeks but major challenges remain, including severe funding shortfalls, access and logistical constraints and a deteriorating security situation in Darfur.

•  Food assistance : Close to 600,000 people were provided food during May by the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners. Food distributions in early June were delayed by insecurity and logistical difficulties but are starting to pick up, with an additional 13,000 metric tonnes of food supplies due to arrive by the end of the month. Airlifts from Addis Ababa directly to South Darfur are scheduled to start by 26 June. WFP uses a fleet of about 400 trucks and will need an additional 200 long-haul trucks to move between 30,000 and 35,000 metric tonnes of food needed every month, as well as a fleet of about 100 special all terrain trucks to operate during the rainy season.

•  Shelter : By the end of June, enough shelter material and blankets will be on the ground to reach 90 percent of the displaced population . This is being coordinated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance and the UN's Joint Logistics Center . Limited distribution capacity and insecurity remain the main constraints in this area.

•  Nutrition : A total of 18 therapeutic feeding centers, run by UNICEF and NGOs, are now serving more than 2,000 severely malnourished children in Darfur , and three more are scheduled to open in North and West Darfur by the end of June. A total of 15 additional feeding centers are required to address the alarming and rising malnutrition rates in many areas where displaced people are concentrated.

•  Immunization : The UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Sudanese Ministry of Health and a number of NGOs have organized a massive measles campaign targeting more than 2.2 million children in Darfur. The campaign has already covered all of South Darfur and campaigns are underway in North and West Darfur where access to the population has been most difficult.

•  Water and Sanitation : About 350,000 needy people now have been provided access to clean water by UN agencies and NGOs and latrine construction is accelerating. Massive needs remain in this area. The UN has made an urgent appeal to donors for experts and equipment, including a fleet of 25 water tankers, six additional drilling rigs and 30-40 water engineers.

•  Refugees : UNHCR has moved more than 106,000 refugees away from the border areas to eight camps further inside Chad where they are being provided with shelter, food, water and other essential assistance.

Challenges and Constraints:

•  Access for humanitarian workers has improved substantially following repeated appeals from the Secretary-General to the President of Sudan. However, some serious problems remain: a number of vehicles have been held up for several months, customs procedures are delaying the delivery of other supplies, and several NGOs still face delays with visas and registration. In addition, the rainy season will result in major logistical challenges, particularly in West Darfur, requiring special trucks, airlifts and potentially airdrops of relief supplies.

•  Capacity : Despite a steady increase in the number of international staff in Darfur , UN agencies are planning to substantially increase their presence to get adequate capacity on the ground. Major international NGOs are also being urged by the United Nations to urgently deploy additional staff and resources.

•  Security : The security situation is a major concern, with a number of serious incidents being reported in the past few weeks. In addition to threats against humanitarian workers, armed robberies and looting of relief supplies, there have been clashes between Government and rebel forces and attacks by Janjaweed on a number of villages in North and South Darfur , resulting in further deaths and displacement. Increased rebel activity and checkpoints have also been disrupting relief operations in South Darfur.

•  Protection : Internally displaced persons continue to identify protection and security as their most urgent need. Attacks on internally displaced are continuing on a daily basis, including sexual violence. Urgent measures are required to disarm and disband the Janjaweed militia, guarantee the safety of the civilian population, and establish law and order.

Funding and Additional Assets :

•  The United Nations held a successful High-Level Donor Alert Meeting in Geneva on 3 June. However, there remains a major funding shortfall of more than $140 million for 2004 for relief efforts in Darfur and Chad. This shortfall is severely affecting the ability of the UN to deploy additional staff and resources, particularly in key areas such as health, water and sanitation.

•  The United Nations has also appealed to donors to provide additional experts and assets for life-saving assistance on an urgent basis. A list that has been provided to donors is attached to this fact sheet.