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ICRC News Release No. 08/124

21 July 2008

Sudan : Hundreds of thousands benefit from seed distribution and livestock vaccination in Darfur

Khartoum / Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed a major aid operation yesterday by distributing seed and tools to 1,100 families in the remote North Darfur village of Haskanita. The aim was to help displaced and host families regain their livelihoods and boost their ability to withstand harsh conditions so as to prevent further displacement.

"One of the things the ICRC is trying to do for communities in remote areas is to help them stand on their own feet and not depend on handouts," said Bruno Mesureur, from the ICRC’s economic-security department in Sudan. "Because of the sheer size of Darfur, the lack of roads, the security situation and other logistical difficulties, the scale and complexity of the operation were extraordinary."

Around 40,000 families living in remote areas in Darfur, especially in and around Jabal Marra, were targeted by the distribution. Each family was given seed, tools and a " seed-protection ration, " i.e. a food ration for the families ' own consumption while sowing their fields.

A number of factors, including a partial crop failure caused by a dry spell at a critical time towards the end of the 2007 cropping season, soil depletion, population displacement, poverty and poor security conditions, have combined to threaten the economic security of many rural households in Darfur.

In coordination with Sudan’s Ministry of Animal Health, the ICRC has also been vaccinating livestock, the main source of livelihood for most nomadic families in secluded areas of Darfur. When the current round of vaccination ended in mid-July, more than 550,000 camels, cattle, sheep and goats had been immunized against five major diseases.

"We are targeting remote areas that have large concentrations of livestock, mainly near water distribution points," said Christine Luethi, an ICRC livestock specialist who supervised the vaccinations. " Once a year we vaccinate livestock in places where such services would otherwise not be available ."

The ICRC is one of the few humanitarian organizations in Darfur to focus its activities on rural communities and nomads. It provides access to safe water and health care, helps people regain or maintain their traditional means of livelihood and offers tracing services for family members separated by the conflict. It also monitors compliance with international humanitarian law and regularly reminds all sides of their obligation to spare civilians.

Sudan , where the ICRC has been working since 1978, is the site of the organization’s largest operation in the world.

For more information, please contact:

Saleh Dabbakeh , ICRC Khartoum, tel. +249 91 213 77 64

Anna Schaaf, ICRC Geneva, tel. +41 79 217 32 17

or visit our website: www.icrc.org