A drilling-rig has arrived at Sisi camp (West Darfur) and has drilled five boreholes. This is expected to ease serious water shortages in the area.

The International NGO, CONCERN, plans to set up an office in Geneina and start operations on shelter and NFIs in West Darfur.

A three-member team from SIDA met with the Minister of Agriculture and some key humanitarian agencies and visited

Óscar Urdeitx, técnico de ayuda humanitaria de Intermón Oxfam, acaba de regresar de la zona fronteriza entre ambos

Jabul Aulia IDP Camp & Wau, Sudan, April 1, 2003 - Around six years ago, the combined effects of a decades-long civil war, occasional, but disastrous flooding, and famine brought untold hardship to the people of the four states of Bahr el Ghazal. Populated by people who were completely dependent on the land for their survival,

• La estación de lluvias, en mayo, amenaza con dejar 'incomunicados' a los refugiados, asentados a lo largo de 600 kilómetros de árida frontera entre Sudán y Chad.
  
  
• Cruz Roja Española ha instalado cuatro bases de apoyo en Chad para asistir a los refugiados y envía un nuevo delegado a la región.

Mr. President, I am here today representing the delegation of the United States of America to pay you our highest respects for Chad's hosting of these talks intended to constructively resolve the terrible conflict in Darfur. I also convey my respects and appreciation to all the Chadian officials involved, the honorable delegations of the parties, observers, facilitators, and guests.

From the very beginning of the present U.S. administration, the United States has had three goals in its relationship

I. SECURITY
UPDF launches Operation Iron Fist II; Sudan rebels close in on LRA

Uganda and Sudan renewed their bilateral military protocol in early March, and signed a three-month extension of the recently expired military agreement between the two states, code-named Operation Iron Fist. The renewed protocol, now tagged Operation Iron Fist II, which extends until 31 May 2004, allows Ugandan troops to pursue the LRA across Sudanese borders.

Since 1983, an estimated two million Sudanese have died as a result of the protracted conflict, drought and famine. In the past year, however, several positive developments within Sudan have occurred, providing new opportunities to finally resolve Africa's longest war and move the country to a lasting peace. The coming together of factions within the south and the success of local people-to-people peace processes, matched by an increase in the number and effectiveness of southern Sudanese civil society organizations indicate a changing political