Malnutrition rates among children under five have reached unprecedented levels of over 60 per cent in some locations in Bahr Al Ghazal, and the incidence of diarrhea and other water-borne diseases is rising. Operation Lifeline Sudan warns that Sudan faces a continued need for emergency health services, nutrition, clean water supplies and other relief and shelter items, such as plastic sheeting, blankets, cooking pots and mosquito netting. In response to the crisis, Operation Lifeline Sudan has launched its most comprehensive humanitarian operation since its formation 10 years ago. In addition to distributing food, Operation Lifeline Sudan is providing integrated nutrition services, including supplementary and therapeutic feeding, emergency health interventions, and water and sanitation programmes. These efforts are expected to bear fruit in a month or so, according to the paper.
Efforts are under way to encourage other agencies to join the relief effort.
Operation Lifeline Sudan faces a number of obstacles, including restrictions on access, funding shortages and logistical constraints. Operation Lifeline Sudan recommends that instead of considering massive relief assistance as a viable long-term solution, the international community should continue to advocate for political solutions that will bring peace and security to Sudan. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia announced on Saturday that genocide suspect Milan Kovacevic had passed away in his cell that morning. The Tribunal's medical officer on duty reported that the death was due to natural causes, presumably a massive heart attack, according to the Tribunal. Mr. Kovacevic's family and his counsel were informed, as were the Dutch authorities and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.