UN: Malnutrition, lawlessness are increasing in Darfur

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Malnutrition is increasing in Sudan's violence-wracked Darfur region along with lawlessness and the number of people fleeing their homes, a senior UN official said. "The humanitarian situation in the last few months has become more critical in many parts of Darfur," Assistant Secretary-General Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN's deputy humanitarian chief, told a news conference Friday. She said she expects Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to raise the worsening humanitarian situation in Darfur with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir when he visits Sudan next week. The humanitarian operation in Darfur remains the largest in the world - as it has been for the past three years - with 4 million people now dependent on humanitarian assistance as a consequence of the protracted conflict, rising tension and increasing lawlessness, she said.