Finland increases humanitarian aid for Darfur crisis victims
2 July, 2004
The Finnish Foreign Ministry has approved an increase of EUR 1.1 million in aid to help the victims of the Darfur crisis. The aid will be channelled through UNICEF, World Food Programme and FinnChurchAid programmes. The decision to increase aid makes Sudan as the main recipient of Finnish humanitarian assistance this year. Including the decisions made earlier this year, Finland has allocated a total of EUR 3.390,000 to the victims of the civil war in Sudan.
Efforts to stop the spread of the Darfur crisis have failed, despite the attempts of the international community. According to aid organisations, 2.2 million people in Darfur will need humanitarian assistance this year. Over a million people have been forced to flee their homes because of the violence. About 18,000 refugees have fled across the border to neighbouring Chad. Finland has separately contributed EUR 400,000 to provide aid to them.
Human rights abuses and the lack of compliance with humanitarian law make Darfur one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Violence against civilians has spread to massive proportions, and the situation of women in particular is vulnerable. The inhabitants of the region face a near hopeless security situation. Fears over the food situation are increasing, as it has not been possible to safeguard the harvests. The start of the rainy season compounds the problems of refugees in temporary shelters and aid organisations’ access to Darfur.
According to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland the most important assistance needs are for primary health care, clean water and better sanitation. These are areas being focussed on by Finnish aid.
Further information: Eeva Dammert-Taube, Attaché, Administrative Affairs, Unit for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, tel +358 9 16056345