Oxfam appeals for aid for Darfur

Nearly one million people are getting no aid at all

British aid agency, Oxfam, has launched an appeal for humanitarian aid for the Darfur region of Sudan and east Chad.

Oxfam says it needs £5m ($10m) to help displaced people in the region who continue to flee from violence.

Visiting US official John Negroponte, says Sudan is obstructing humanitarian aid and has warned of wider sanctions.

The four-year Darfur conflict between rebels and pro-government Arab militia has seen more than 200,000 deaths and at least 2.4 million displaced.

"The denial of visas and harassment of aid workers has created the impression that the government of Sudan is engaged in a deliberate campaign of intimidation," US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte said at the end of his tour of Sudan.

Mr Negroponte warned Sudan of isolation if it fails to stop harassment of humanitarian workers and rejects the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the war-torn region.

Outrage

Oxfam says about 10,000 people in Darfur are fleeing from their homes each month and aid agencies are facing unprecedented difficulties in reaching them.

In pictures: Darfur crisis

"This is the greatest concentration of human suffering in the world and an outrage that affronts the world's moral values," Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's international director said after a tour of Darfur.

The international aid agency is currently providing clean water, health and sanitation services to more than 500,000 people in Darfur and eastern Chad.

"Nearly 1 million people are not getting any aid at all and in some areas the aid efforts is under threat due to increasing insecurity," an Oxfam statement said.

In eastern Chad, some 375,000 people have fled from the conflict between rebels and government forces and at present aid agencies can only provide three litres of water a day to the people.

An appeal by the United Nations for funds to support displaced people in Darfur and Chad has so far only realised $40m of the required $173m.

Force

Sudan is opposing plans by the UN to deploy a 20,000 strong peacekeeping force that will boost efforts of the poorly equipped and funded African Union mission in Darfur.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon is expected to hold talks with the Alpha Omar Konare, the chairman of the AU commission on details of the plans on Monday.

The UN says although an agreement exists between the government of Sudan and the UN for what is known as the "heavy support package" for Darfur, the deal has not been fully signed off.

A spokeswoman for the UN in the Sudanese capital Khartoum says she cannot confirm reports emanating from Saudi Arabia that the deal is done.

Radhia Achouri said that as far as she is aware agreement, which involves the deployment of up to 3,000 UN military personnel and equipment, remains held up because Sudan will not agree to the use of helicopter gunships by peacekeepers.

Ms Achouri says there has been no progress at all on Stage 3 where UN troops will start to work alongside the existing AU peacekeeping operation in Darfur.