IRC and NGOs Call on the UN to Take Strong Action on Sudan

The International Rescue Committee and five other international humanitarian aid agencies working in Sudan have issued a joint statement urging the UN Security Council to agree on a strong resolution setting out concrete measures to be taken against the Government of Sudan, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement if they continue to renege on their commitments to resolve the crisis in Darfur.

The Security Council will meet in Nairobi this week to address the issue of Sudan and discuss the peace talks aimed at ending the 21 year conflict between North and South Suan. "While the Darfur crisis has deservedly captured the attention of the international community, this should not be at the expense of support to the national peace talks which offer benefits to all Sudan, including Darfur and the East," said a spokeswoman for the aid agencies.

The IRC is providing emergency assistance to hundreds of thousands of uprooted people fleeing ongoing violence in Darfur. The conflict has driven more than 1.8 million people from their homes and into overcrowded camps across western Sudan and northeastern Chad. The IRC has been providing humanitarian assistance elsewhere in Sudan since 1981.