Sudan (MNN) -- The United States has ordered new economic sanctions to pressure Sudan's government to halt the bloodshed in Darfur. The fighting in that region has displaced 2.5 million people, leading to a humanitarian crisis.
Saying diplomacy isn't working, Washington is now targeting government-run oil ventures and seeking U.N. Security Council sanctions, in addition to seeking provision preventing the government from conducting military flights in Darfur.
The war has cost at least 200,000 lives and forced millions more over the border into ill-prepared refugee camps in neighboring countries. The new sanctions are an extension of the ones put into place 10 years ago. They ban 31 mostly-Sudanese government-owned or controlled companies from using the U.S. banking system.
What effect will there be on humanitarian aid groups struggling to help the war's survivors? Christian Reformed World Relief Committee's Andrew Ryskamp says, "At this point, it's a little early to tell what the impact is. The last time that there was increased pressure on Darfur, the security situation did improve somewhat. International attention on Darfur does have an impact."
Ryskamp says while pressure from other high-powered countries like China can relieve the crisis, those in ministry are making preparations for strong long-term support in the region. "A number of Christian agencies have banded together so that our combined strength and influence can be used not only in Sudan but also in Chad, and increasingly, we're looking at ways that we can work in regions, especially where there's insecurity."
Their current effort targets 90,000 internally-displaced people and focuses on: the provision of food, the provision of vegetable seed and the restocking of small animals, the construction of latrines and wells for potable water, and the provision of health-related services (education, medicine, etc.). Another initiative is teaching people how to create fuel-efficient stoves and reforestation.
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