Darfur 'World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis'

Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, Jun 3 (IPS) - Everyone seems to agree on the severity of the crisis that threatens some two million people in the Sudanese region of Darfur, but governments are focussing on a response based on humanitarian aid, while human rights groups are calling for urgent protection for the civilian population.

Even in the best-case scenario, humanitarian experts estimate that more than 300,000 people will die as a result of violence and starvation.

Amnesty International, based in London, holds the Janjaweed -- militias backed by Sudan's armed forces -- responsible for the massive human rights violations suffered by hundreds of thousands of civilians in Darfur, a region in the country's northwest.

Human Rights Watch, another powerful non-governmental organisation, headquartered in the United States, maintains that Darfur is carrying out a campaign of ”ethnic cleansing” promoted by the government of Sudan against three communities located in the Darfur area.