Oxfam may withdraw from Darfur after attacks

Ten attacks in the last four days have forced Oxfam to consider withdrawing from Sudan's violent and remote region of Darfur.

Darfur has descended into chaos forcing the world's largest aid operation to evacuate some areas and work at high risk in others to provide assistance to some 4 million people.

The violence continued despite the signing of a peace deal last year by the government and one rebel faction and intense international focus on ending the conflict.

Oxfam's country director Caroline Nursey said: "It's certainly a strong possibility that if things get any worse Oxfam would have to withdraw.

"Oxfam is operating at the limits of what it can tolerate as an organisation. In most circumstances if the security situation were as bad as it is in Darfur we would withdraw.

"The only reason we are still there is that we are aware of very large numbers of people who are totally dependent on us for services."

Oxfam provides water and sanitation to 500,000 people in Darfur and neighbouring Chad, where the conflict has spilled across the border.

Two weeks ago an Oxfam vehicle was taken in broad daylight by armed men in South Darfur's massive and volatile Kalma camp.

Ms Nursey said the driver overheard the men debating whether to kill the two Oxfam staff members.

Last year an Oxfam driver was killed in North Darfur and staff faced mock executions in an attack in Gereida, South Darfur.

Since the conflict began in 2003 when mostly non-Arabs revolted, accusing the government in Khartoum of neglect, some 200,000 people have died in Darfur and 2.5 million have fled their homes for sprawling camps run by aid groups.

Around 7,000 African Union police and troops have failed to stem the violence.

They have been accused of bias for mediating the 2006 deal which many in Darfur's makeshift camps reject as inadequate. Only one of three rebel factions signed the deal.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.