The indictment of the President of the Republic of Sudan by the International Criminal Court has made the situation in the country, especially in Darfur, very tense. CARE is extremely concerned about our continuing ability to reach the more than 1,144,133 people to whom we provide life-sustaining services throughout Sudan.
We call on all parties and persons in Sudan to respect the independent and humanitarian nature of our work, and the work of our colleague organizations, and to protect our ongoing access to those people who are in need of our assistance. Likewise, we call on all parties in Sudan to continue to work towards peaceful resolution of the conflicts in the country.
We have temporarily suspended staff movement to program sites in Khartoum and in Darfur. Our programming design for Darfur has always been cognizant of possible security difficulties; and mechanisms are in place for maintaining essential services for a short while. However, the situation throughout Darfur, especially in camps, will quickly deteriorate unless humanitarian agencies are allowed unfettered access.
CARE has worked in Sudan since 1979 and in Darfur since 2004, when violent conflict displaced millions of people from their homes. We provide life-saving services to more than 500,000 people in camps in the Darfur region.
