Malnutrition and mortality very high in Darfur - MSF survey

The threat of famine is looming in the Darfur region of western Sudan as the whole population is "teetering on the verge of mass starvation", according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). A study, conducted in Mukjar (town) and Wadi Salih Province (of Western Darfur State) had revealed "dangerously high levels of malnutrition and mortality" with a rapidly deteriorating food-security situation, said MSF. No less than 21.5 percent of children under five years of age in the area were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition. Worse still, the study found that about 5 percent of the children under five (in families surveyed) had died in the last three months. "These levels of mortality are well in excess of emergency definitions. Most of the children died from simple causes such as hunger, diarrhoea and malaria," said MSF. Sixty percent of deaths among children over five years of age were found to be due to war injuries. Since a rebellion emerged in Darfur in February 2003, over one million people have been displaced and two million affected by the conflict, according to the UN. Hundreds of villages have been burned by Janjawid militias allied to the government, who have killed thousands of non-Arabs, deliberately destroyed water sources, raped women and girls and looted food stocks and livestock. The government denies arming the militias to terrorise the local people. A ceasefire agreement signed on 8 April by the government and the region's two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, has yielded few results, with frequent reports of violations and persistent attacks on civilians. Displaced Darfurians, who are too scared to return to their farms, are currently missing this year's planting season, which will mean no harvest next November. Meanwhile, the arrival of the rains in late May or early June will hamper or paralyse aid distribution in many areas. MSF warned that the situation was set to further deteriorate unless urgent action was taken. The whole population of Darfur (estimated to be several million) faced food shortages and the threat of starvation in the very near future unless substantial food distributions were organised, it said. As the entire population was weakened by hunger, it would also become more vulnerable to diseases. Malaria and diarrhoeal diseases increased anyway during the rainy season, it noted. "The international community has known the extent of the crisis in Darfur for many months," said MSF Emergency Coordinator Ton Koene. "But people are still facing attacks. People are still terrified. Although some food has been distributed, much more is needed in the coming weeks - if not, more children and their parents will die."