Sudan says trying to secure access for relief to Darfur region

Wednesday January 7th, 2004.

KHARTOUM, Jan 7 (AFP) -- The Sudanese government said Wednesday its troops were trying to secure deliveries of humanitarian aid to people caught in Khartoum's conflict with armed rebels in the western Darfur region.

The ministry of humanitarian affairs said a government delegation returned here Tuesday from a nine-day tour of West and South Darfur states to study obstacles hindering the delivery of assistance to parts of the region.

Those obstacles were posed by conditions of insecurity and instability, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating.

The delegation said the government armed forces "are working to tighten their grip on the situation," which would ease the delivery of relief supplies to some areas, according to the statement.

The delegation instructed the offices of the Humanitarian Aid Commission
(HAC) in Darfur to speed up distribution of relief supplies, the statement said.

The delegation was satisfied with arrangements made by committees of the states with the World Food Programme (WFP) and other non-goverment organizations operating there for delivery of the assistance to the affected people, it said.

The Khartoum delegation concluded contracts with two transport companies for transporting relief supplies in January and February, it said.

It added that the delegation made arrangements with the local administrative and security authorities to protect civilians in villages and hamlets and on roads against attacks by the rebels.

The statement said 2,4000 tonnes of food offered by US government aid agency USAID arrived in Port Sudan, while the British government offered 3.5 million dollars for the purchase of food supplies from the local market.

About 19,000 tonnes, including 5,000 tonnes made available by the government, in addition to 4,000 tonnes of non-food medical and shelter items are now on hand for immediate distribution, the statement said.

In Nairobi, the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) claimed Saturday that government troops and allied militias had killed more than 200 civilians and wounded many others in the area.

The Darfur rebellion, launched in February to protest against economic neglect of the semi-desert region by Khartoum, left some 3,000 dead last year, according to UN estimates. Another 400,000 have been displaced by the conflict.

On September 3, the government and the SLM signed a ceasefire agreement which they later accused each other of violating.