The UK’s Independent calls it

“Darfur’s return to hell"

"Children raped. Homes looted. Villages torched. And thousands forced to flee aerial bombings – three months after UN took over peacekeeping”

“The conflict in Darfur has entered a violent and deadly new phase. Another “scorched earth” policy is being unleashed, reminiscent of the worst waves of government-backed violence that brought the Sudanese region to world attention five years ago and the US to declare that what was happening there constituted genocide.

Internal reports by humanitarian agencies operating in the region, and seen by The Independent, reveal that the active Sudanese government-backed military phase of the conflict, thought to have ended early in 2005, has resumed, with horrifying consequences.

The brutal new onslaught is centered in western Darfur where clusters of villages have been aerially bombed and, in co-ordinated ground attacks, homes have been looted and burnt to the ground. Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed and tens of thousands forced to flee into neighbouring Chad.

‘The tactics are exactly the same as those the government pursued right at the start of this conflict: aerial bombings, followed by sending in the militias to loot, kill and rape,’ said one source in Sudan. ‘It is as ruthless as in 2003.’”

To view the entire article click here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/darfurs-return-to-hell-794453.html

Now from our own team a first-hand report about the deteriorating security situation and the human suffering in Darfur:

There seems to be little hope for peace in Darfur. In recent months there has been a marked increase in violence with intensive aerial bombings being carried out by government forces. Just this past week, government planes continued to bomb villages in Darfur, the nightmare continues for many 100's of 1000's of men, women and children.

• Regular attacks on NGO's and humanitarian workers have increased, making our aid effort difficult to fulfill.
• Our guys are reporting that besides aerial bombing by the government Antonov planes, attack helicopters are also being used.
• Peace talks have failed to get off the ground.
• The United Nations peacekeeping mission will not be fully deployed for months to come. There are only 9 000 peace-keeping troops, this is supposed to be 26 000.
• Two-thirds of the region's population is dependent on aid to survive.
• We hear horrific stories of children being burnt alive in villages as men on horseback attack their villages.
• Women being raped as they flee their homes for safety.
• Women and children are too scared to sleep at night, petrified that they will be attacked.
• The heat is intense, there is little shelter, shade, food or water in Darfur, one of the harshest regions in the world to survive. Even animals such as camels battle to survive with skeletons littering the sides of the countryside.
• Violence has increased dramatically as the government tries to seek out the rebels.
• Conflict and fighting in neighbouring Chad makes it even more difficult for us to reach Darfur and means even less security for those trying to survive in Darfur. (Chad was a main route into Darfur)
• The government is claiming it is bombing rebel camps, yet it is refugee camps that are being attacked.
• Refugee camps are not a place of refuge anymore, 1000's of women and children have fled and are living out in the open without shelter or any source of food.

Inspite of all the publicity and media attention, the fact remains that people continue to be attacked and killed in Darfur, the suffering continues. The living conditions are hardly that, it is pure survival in one of the most difficult regions of the world. Its very hard to think of children in such a terrible situation, yet so many have a story to tell, many have seen their parents being killed, some have seen their mothers raped and then killed, some children have been burnt to death as their grass hut is set alight by attackers. The Darfur nightmare continues.......

We continue our efforts to help these poor folk by providing basic relief aid items, this is the least we can do to help those who are suffering in Sudan.