Aid agencies in Sudan unable to reach war exiles

AID workers are getting less and less access to those in need in the war-torn Darfur region even as 50,000 people fled their homes amid a government offensive this month, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Sudan has warned.

Manuel Aranda Da Silva said the situation in Darfur had never been so bad for aid workers’ access since the start of the conflict that is believed to have killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million in the vast region of western Sudan.

The UN estimates 100,000 people have been displaced by violence since May, and Mr da Silva said half of those fled in September when the Sudanese army launched a major offensive against rebels in North Darfur province, one of three that make up the region.