Big Country, Big Problems

via OSAC... originally from the BBC: Big Country, Big Problems

Scorched earth policy High on the agenda is the situation in Darfur, a region on Sudan's western border with Chad, where an estimated one million people have been made homeless by fighting between mainly African rebels and Arab militia. The displaced people - mostly Africans - blame the Arab militia, or Janjaweed, for a scorched earth policy involving systematic killing, rape and looting. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says more than 150,000 of the displaced have fled to Chad, many to remote desert locations where delivering aid - shelter, food, medicines - is extremely difficult. "We are facing a disaster," said UNHCR head Ruud Lubbers. According to Mr Lubbers torrential rains due in the next few weeks will make access even more difficult. The agency also faces a funding crisis, with its appeals for aid not being met by donors. "We are tapping into our own resources and we are emptying our pockets," said Lubbers. "We cannot say that this is the humanitarian crisis of the day and not fund the crisis." 'Worst humanitarian crisis' The situation of displaced people inside Darfur is just as desperate. Aid agencies complained that unnecessary customs delays and the slow delivery of government permits for aid workers to visit Darfur were hampering their efforts. Hilary Benn said he raised this issue with Khartoum; he says he has been promised a relaxation of the customs regime for aid goods and the quicker delivery of visiting permits. Whatever these marginal improvements might bring, UN officials and visiting foreign politicians are still describing Darfur as "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today."

------ update: here's the original BBC link .