The Scottish Executive will today announce that £250,000 will be made available to the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) to tackle poverty in Darfur.
Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture Linda Fabiani will announce the funding when she visits SCIAF later today. The money will be used to support over 120,000 people in the communities most affected by the violence and unrest in South and West Darfur and the neighbouring Chad region. Over 200,000 people have been killed since clashes first erupted between Sudanese government forces, allied militias and rebel groups in February 2003.
SCIAF has been involved in the area since 2004, as part of the Darfur Emergency Response Operation (DEFO).
The funding has been welcomed by Cardinal Keith O’Brien who briefed Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond in May this year together with SCIAF chief executive Paul Chitnis following their visit to the region, and comes as an estimated 2.1 million people continue to seek refuge in temporary camps.
Announcing the funding, Fabiani stressed the importance of immediate and practical solutions to support impoverished and displaced people. “In an area where three quarters of the population are farmers, this money from the Scottish government will provide essential seeds, tools and training to allow people to begin planting to feed themselves and their families.
"I commend the work that SCIAF is carrying out to help the communities most affected by this humanitarian crisis. This Scottish government is committed to a progressive international development policy and I am proud that we can offer some hope and support to the people of Darfur during this crucial period."
Mary Cullen, Head of Communications and Education for SCIAF welcomed the funding and said that money donated to the SCIAF appeal by the Executive and the Scottish public is helping save lives and provide basic humanitarian assistance to thousands of poor people.
"This money really will help the poorest of the poor. It will go immediately to projects on the ground in Darfur to help keep people alive through what continues to be a complex and desperate crisis. Together with the threat of violence, there is the very real risk of large scale fatalities from diseases such as cholera and malaria.
"The displaced population in Darfur now accounts for a staggering 2.1 million people, with the number of new arrivals going up all the time. Since January alone 110,000 new people have fled to camps for protection, food and shelter.”
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