Appeal for $ 2.4 mio. as crisis worsens in Sudan

The UN's World Food Program (WFP) estimates that some 600,000 people in Sudan are in urgent need of food assistance while a total of 2.9 million people will need assistance to make it through 2001.

WFP recently warned of an impending famine in Sudan if assistance was not delivered in time before Sudan's next rainy season begins in about a month from now.

Prolonged drought and war related displacement are at the root of the problems for most of the more than 130,000 people targeted for relief by ACT members working in Juba in Eastern Equatoria, Bentiu in Upper Nile, Kadugli and Dilling in the Nuba Mountains, Damazin in Blue Nile and Wau in Bahr al Ghazal.

Despite the recent harvest in Sudan, food prices on basic commodities such as sorghum aresoaring and have in some areas reached levels three times higher than what would be expected this time of the year. Such price hikes leaves commercial food totally out of reach for the poor and destitute including the displaced.

A particular case is assistance to displaced in Bentiu in Upper Nile and to people in the Nuba Mountains. Here fighting and raiding prompted solely (Bentiu) or partly (Nuba Mountains) by the need to clear vital oil fields and installations for the areas original population, have led to a humanitarian crisis.

If the Sudanese government and its foreign commercial partners continue their strategy of forced displacement from the areas around the oil fields, a full scale famine is likely to erupt in parts of Upper Nile and Barh al Ghazal.

These ACT appeals all target populations living in areas controlled by the government of Sudan. Further appeals for people living in rebel controlled parts of Sudan will be issued at a later stage.