Monday, June 25, 2007

Darfur update


The situation in Sudan's arid, remote western region of Darfur has changed significantly since fighting began in 2003. Malnutrition rates have now been cut by half since the start of the conflict, according to the United Nations.

International experts estimate that 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur in the last four years and more than two million have fled from their homes.

Attacks against humanitarian organisations and African Union peacekeepers are on the increase. Rarely a week goes by without a vehicle being carjacked and staff abducted or beaten.

Since the widely unpopular Darfur Peace Agreement was signed by one of the three negotiating rebel factions last year, the groups have splintered into numerous fighting forces.

There has been a general breakdown of law and order in Darfur, a region almost the size of France inhabited by about six million people. The recent surge in violent incidents appears to be carried out by criminal groups looking to steal cars and sell them in neighbouring countries, such as Chad or Libya.

The number of people affected and displaced has steadily increased since the start of the conflict, and at the moment there seems little prospect of them being able to return to their villages.


This is a story the BBC used today to help people learn English.

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