Darfur crisis unites UK charities

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Hundreds of thousands of people have been living in makeshift camps for up to four years and their tattered shelters are unlikely to withstand another change in season.

The rains - which will arrive in the next four weeks - are expected to bring a sharp increase in illness and diseases such as malaria and diarrhoea.

Food and medicine levels are also worryingly low, while the adverse weather conditions will only make it harder for aid agencies to reach stricken areas.

More than 4.5 million people have been affected by the ongoing conflict which has spread from Darfur to Chad and on to the Central African Republic. Two million people in Darfur have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in camps, with 107,000 made homeless between January and April this year.

Four million are dependent on humanitarian aid, while in Chad 147,000 have been internally displaced.

The launch of the appeal, co-ordinated by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), will be backed by BBC newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky. A high-profile telephone campaign will open at 6pm on Thursday with volunteers taking calls from the BT Tower in London.

Brendan Gormley, chief executive of the DEC, said thousands of lives could be saved. "We are seeing one of the greatest concentrations of human suffering right now in Darfur and Chad and the impending rains will make the situation even worse.

"We have been keeping people alive but access is already severely hampered by conflict and the rains will make it much harder for us to respond if we don't act now."

He said money would be spent on shelter, clean water, sanitation, food and equipment such as cement, blankets, soap and buckets. The Darfur and Chad Crisis Appeal number is 0870 60 60 900 or money can be donated online at www.dec.org.uk.

www.dec.org.uk(Disasters Emergency Committee)