Monday, May 01, 2006

Darfur - Genocide by famine

The SMH reports.

THE suffering of at least 2 million refugees in Sudan's Darfur region - where a brutal ethnic and political conflict has raged since 2003 - has worsened with the announcement that the United Nations will halve their food rations because of a severe lack of funding, especially from the wealthy nations of Europe and the Middle East.

"This is going to become genocide by famine," said Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish Relief Services, which is a leader of efforts in the United States to increase aid to victims in Darfur.


So, who's giving and how much?

The World Food Program says the cut is necessary because it has received just a third of the $US746 million ($983 million) it had requested from donor nations for all of its operations in Sudan. The United States is the largest donor by far, giving $US188 million to the emergency food program. Norway, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium donated a total of $US5.5 million and Canada gave $US3.9 million.


How is the Muslim world helping their Muslim brothers?

The only Muslim nation contributing to the emergency feeding program is Libya, with a donation of $US4.5 million. The rest of the money came from a special UN humanitarian fund and from individual and corporate donors.


Not too well it would seem.

What's the Left doing about Darfu? Talking.
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