27/03/07, Steve Bloomfield: Darfur aid relief 'close to collapse', UN chief warns
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Aid relief for Darfur's displaced millions is on the brink of collapse, the UN's new humanitarian chief has warned. Sir John Holmes, on a trip to Sudan's troubled Darfur region, told The Independent that attacks on aid workers had reached new levels.
He warned that one more major security incident could lead to aid agencies pulling out. "Then we will have a catastrophe on our hands," he said.
Sir John, who took over from Jan Egeland as the UN emergency relief co-ordinator at the beginning of the month, said morale among humanitarian workers in Darfur was "very low".
Sudan is increasingly reluctant to issue visas for international aid workers, while those in Darfur are increasingly subjected to attacks from the government-backed Janjaweed militia and rebel groups alike.
"Their vehicles are being hijacked at gun-point, they have been subjected to beatings and even sexual assaults," Sir John said. "There are a lot of men with guns around who can create security problems at any moment."
Six people working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were abducted earlier this month after their Land Cruiser and truck were hijacked. The six, who had been visiting a village to assess the water supply, were released unharmed the next day but had to walk through the desert for five hours until they found refuge in a village.
Oxfam and Action Against Hunger aid workers in El Geneina, near the western border with Chad, were attacked in December by militiamen belonging to the faction of the SLA rebel group which signed last year's peace deal. Several were badly beaten, some of the women were raped, and others were subjected to mock executions. About 150,000 people in El Geneina are now without humanitarian assistance after the aid agencies were forced to leave.
Bureaucratic obstacles have also disrupted the delivery of aid. Sir John was barred from visiting a camp on Saturday, although the Sudanese authorities claimed it was a misunderstanding and allowed him to visit another on Sunday. "It illustrated precisely the problem we are facing. If that can happen to me on a fairly high-profile visit they knew all about, you can imagine what it's like for ordinary humanitarian workers," he said.
Sir John, who was the UK's ambassador to France until his UN appointment, is also due to travel to neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic, countries which are increasingly affected by instability in Darfur.
He warned that one more major security incident could lead to aid agencies pulling out. "Then we will have a catastrophe on our hands," he said.
Sir John, who took over from Jan Egeland as the UN emergency relief co-ordinator at the beginning of the month, said morale among humanitarian workers in Darfur was "very low".
Sudan is increasingly reluctant to issue visas for international aid workers, while those in Darfur are increasingly subjected to attacks from the government-backed Janjaweed militia and rebel groups alike.
"Their vehicles are being hijacked at gun-point, they have been subjected to beatings and even sexual assaults," Sir John said. "There are a lot of men with guns around who can create security problems at any moment."
Six people working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were abducted earlier this month after their Land Cruiser and truck were hijacked. The six, who had been visiting a village to assess the water supply, were released unharmed the next day but had to walk through the desert for five hours until they found refuge in a village.
Oxfam and Action Against Hunger aid workers in El Geneina, near the western border with Chad, were attacked in December by militiamen belonging to the faction of the SLA rebel group which signed last year's peace deal. Several were badly beaten, some of the women were raped, and others were subjected to mock executions. About 150,000 people in El Geneina are now without humanitarian assistance after the aid agencies were forced to leave.
Bureaucratic obstacles have also disrupted the delivery of aid. Sir John was barred from visiting a camp on Saturday, although the Sudanese authorities claimed it was a misunderstanding and allowed him to visit another on Sunday. "It illustrated precisely the problem we are facing. If that can happen to me on a fairly high-profile visit they knew all about, you can imagine what it's like for ordinary humanitarian workers," he said.
Sir John, who was the UK's ambassador to France until his UN appointment, is also due to travel to neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic, countries which are increasingly affected by instability in Darfur.
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