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FUNDING UPDATE: To date, the Jewish Coalition for Sudan Relief has raised and distributed over $600,000 to help the victims of this crisis. Grants have been made to the International Medical Corps (IMC) and the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children to support their humanitarian, nutritional and reproductive health efforts. Coalition support is also being given to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) to help conduct a psychosocial assistance program in two of Chad's refugee camps. A grant to the International Rescue Committee is helping support their educational and support services with refugees and the local host community in Chad. Recent grants have been made to other international organizations to improve the quality of emergency obstetric medicine in Nyala, Darfur, and to support a psychosocial program for refugees in Zalingei, Darfur.

Most recently, the Jewish Coalition provided an additional grant to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society for their UNHCR-supported project that will provide community and psychosocial services for Darfurian refugees in the Goz Amir Camp in Chad. The Coalition also provided additional grants to IMC to support their primary healthcare efforts for the host community in Eastern Chad, and the operation of mobile health clinics in West Darfur.

Ethnic Cleansing in Darfur, Sudan

More than 2 million people have fled their villages in the Darfur region of western Sudan since the Sudanese government, together with nearly 20,000 members of the Janjaweed militias, launched a campaign early last year to stem rebel group uprisings. Since then, this campaign has taken on a substantially ethnic component, aimed at ridding the region of its black African population through terror, intimidation, rape, pillage and murder.

To date, an estimated 400,000 people have been killed or have died from disease and malnutrition, and over 1/2 of Darfur's villages have been destroyed by the Janjaweed's "scorched earth" policy. Infrastructure has been devastated to the degree that reconstruction may be impossible. Of the estimated 2.5 million displaced people, over 210,000 have fled to eastern Chad while 1.9 million are living in camps and less formal sites in Darfur. According to the major humanitarian NGOs, the biggest problems continues to be the health of the internally displaced persons (IDPs), living both in Chad and in Darfur, as well as the tremendous lack of security for even those that have reached official refugee sites.

The camps are in horrible condition, very few people have any access to medical attention, clean water, food and sanitary facilities, so the risk of disease, malnutrition and starvation is extremely high. Many NGOs are working furiously to address health and nutrition needs of the IDPs, as a way of making them less vulnerable, particularly to diseases such as cholera, dysentery, shigella, and other illnesses that could kill people on a very large scale in a very short amount of time. The most vulnerable are children under 5 years old and pregnant women.

Under increasing pressure from the United States, the African Union and the UN, the Government of Sudan has pledged to disarm the Janjaweed, increase protection for unarmed civilians and ease restrictions that have made providing aid extremely difficult for humanitarian NGOs. To date, though, little progress has been made.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reported at the opening of the African Union summit that a "catastrophe" was looming in Sudan's Darfur province. He warned the crisis may destabilize the entire region, and said Sudan had a "sacred duty" to help its citizens.

It is apparent a political solution to this situation is the key to easing this horrific humanitarian crisis, and that pressure from the West, the African Union, the UN and other international actors is crucial. Many Jewish Coalition members are conducting advocacy efforts on their own and through the interfaith Save Darfur Coalition. For more information on how you can help advocate on behalf of the Sudanese victims of this crisis, please visit the Save Darfur website by CLICKING HERE

Until a political solution is found, though, millions remain at risk and humanitarian assistance remains critical. To donate to the Jewish Coalition's efforts and support organizations providing this vital relief, please CLICK HERE