PHA-Exchange> Re: DARFUR, SUDAN- HUMANITARIAN CRISIS : (Press Statement) - PEOPLE'S HEALTH MOVEMENT

Sat Aug 21 02:41:28 PDT 2004

Thanks Unni for this. I appreciate the good job that you are doing for the people.
Mwajuma
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: UNNIKRISHNAN P.V. (Dr) 
  To: PHM_Steering_Group_02-03 at yahoogroups.com ; PHM_Humanitarian_action_circle at yahoogroups.com ; pha-exchange at kabissa.org ; pha-ncc at yahoogroups.com ; IPHCWORLDWIDEY ; no-to-war at yahoogroups.com ; Health NOW! ; PHA-Europe at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 8:30 AM
  Subject: PHA-Exchange> DARFUR, SUDAN- HUMANITARIAN CRISIS : (Press Statement) - PEOPLE'S HEALTH MOVEMENT

  PEOPLE'S  HEALTH  MOVEMENT              Press Release

  (HUMANITARIAN  CRISIS  IN DARFUR, SUDAN)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  PEOPLE'S  HEALTH  MOVEMENT  EXPRESSES  SERIOUS CONCERNS  OVER  THE HUMANITARIAN  CRISIS  IN DARFUR, SUDAN. 

  PEOPLE'S  HEALTH  MOVEMENT appeals to the African Union and United Nations to "step in and act"

  Bagamoyo (Tanzania) & Bangalore (India) ; 19th August 2004: People's Health Movement (PHM) expresses serious concerns over the humanitarian crisis that is currently unfolding in Darfur, Western Sudan. More than a million people have been uprooted from their homes. 

  "We appeal to the African Union and the United Nations to step in and act without any further delay" said Mwajuma S. Masaiganah, PHM focal person for East and Central Africa. 

  PHM is an international coalition of grass roots movements, health professionals and humanitarian workers that has a presence in nearly 100 countries.  Several frontline health and humanitarian workers, who often work in conflict situations, are members of the PHM.

  "At stake are the lives of millions of people. Unattended, the situation may lead to a regional crisis with catastrophic results" warned a PHM spokesperson. 

  "We condemn the barbaric acts of violence and torture that has been inflicted on ordinary civilians by the Janjawid militia" said a PHM statement. Reports indicate that the militia has been working hand in glove with the arms of Sudanese government.

  "Immediate steps are necessary to stop this 'genocide'. Reports of 'mass murder', torture and rape have reached epidemic proportions with catastrophic affects on ordinary people, especially women and children, causing immeasurable sufferings" said a PHM statement.

  The worsening weather situation has amplified the crisis. Health systems have broken down making health care and humanitarian assistance a nightmare. 

  "We also appeal to the international humanitarian and development agencies to step up their efforts in providing life line relief and humanitarian assistance to the affected people" said a PHM spokesperson.  Humanitarian agencies are battling massive logistics obstacles and daunting security challenges to help hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by the conflict.

  Over one million people have been displaced within Darfur, where militias have reportedly forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Many have been killed, tortured and raped in what is considered to be 'one of the worst genocides' in Africa. Another 170,000 Sudanese have fled across the border to neighbouring Chad. The plight of the refugees are also critical.

  People's Charter for Health, the largest consensus document on health and the moving spirit of the PHM, also condemns the use of child soldiers, and the abuse and rape, torture and killing of women and children.  

  Ravi Narayan                                     Mwajuma S. Masaiganah

  Co-ordinator: PHM secretariat           Focal Person: East & Central Africa

  For media enquiries, please call: +91 80 5128 0009  or  +91 98450 91319

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  PHM Global Secretariat:  CHC, # 367, Jakkasandra 1st Main, 1st Block, Koramangala,

  Bangalore - 560 034 India.     Tel.: 91-80-5128 0009 / Telefax: 91-80-552 53 72

  E-mail: secretariat at phmovement.org Website: http://www.phmovement.org

  Networks
        Asian Community Health Action Network (ACHAN); Consumers International-Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (CIROAP); Dag Hammarskjold Foundation (DHF); Gonoshasthaya Kendra, (GK);  Health Action International (HAI) - Asia-Pacific - HAIAP; International People's Health Council (IPHC); Third World Network (TWN); Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)

  --------------------------------------------- 
  This message has been scanned for viruses and 
  dangerous content by Africa Online MailScanner, and is 
  believed to be clean. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  ---
  PHA-Exchange is hosted on Kabissa - Space for change in Africa
  To post, write to: PHA-Exchange at lists.kabissa.org
  Website: http://lists.kabissa.org/mailman/listinfo/pha-exchange

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20040821/807d3e2e/attachment-0001.html>