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U.S. Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur

WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810

2004-011

April 23, 2004

According to the United Nations, the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur is currently the worst humanitarian and human rights catastrophe in the world. The U.N. has estimated that, out of a pre-conflict population in Darfur of 6.5 million, approximately 1 million people have been internally displaced within Sudan and more than 110,000 people have fled across the border into neighboring Chad as a result of this conflict. Because of the unstable security situation on the ground, delivery of humanitarian assistance to the conflict-affected populations has been severely impeded. On April 8th the government of Sudan and the opposition Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a 45-day renewable ceasefire agreement which includes a pledge to guarantee safe passage of humanitarian aid to Darfur.

To date, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Department of State have provided over $85 million in humanitarian assistance for the crisis in Darfur in western Sudan. This includes the following:

• Over the past year, USAID has deployed field staff to Sudan specifically to assess the extent of the Darfur crisis. On April 11, to respond to the increasing scale of humanitarian needs, USAID mobilized a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). USAID continues a phased deployment of humanitarian personnel as official access and improved security allow for increased presence in Darfur.
• Since October 2003 USAID has provided nearly 74,000 metric tons of emergency food assistance worth approximately $67.1 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) for Darfur, including a contribution of 30,000 metric tons of wheat announced on April 14, 2004. This latest U.S. food contribution is estimated to arrive in Darfur in late May in advance of the rainy season when logistical access to vulnerable populations will be greatly restricted. In addition, USAID has contributed approximately 7,040 metric tons of mixed commodities worth approximately $4.8 million to the WFP for Darfur refugees in eastern Chad.
• Since February 2003 USAID has provided over $4 million to various international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for emergency humanitarian activities in Darfur. Recipients of these funds include the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Health Organization (WHO), the WFP, and two NGOs, Medair and Save the Children-UK.
• The U.S. Department of State has provided nearly $10 million for the refugee crisis in eastern Chad. This includes $5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for emergency assistance, $2 million to WFP for refugee food needs, $400,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), $1.6 million to AirServ International, and $877,000 to the International Medical Corps (IMC).

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