Sudanese bishops calls for dialogue in resolving Darfur conflict

Published: 2004-02-17

ROME (CNS) -- A Sudanese bishop urged the government to end its military campaign against guerrillas in the western region of Darfur and to begin a dialogue with rebels immediately. In an interview with the Vatican's missionary news agency, Fides, published Feb. 12, Bishop Macram Max Gassis of El Obeid said, "the government cannot kill innocent women, children and old people in its war on guerrilla groups." "Arms are not a solution; they only spread hatred, which only fuels more violence," he said. Fighting between the government in Khartoum and rebels erupted in Darfur a year ago and forced tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to neighboring Chad. An estimated 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes by the conflict. The international medical relief agency, Doctors Without Borders, has appealed to the world community to help address the urgent needs of some 140,000 refugees. At a Rome press conference Feb. 11, Doctors Without Borders field coordinator Sonya Peirassol said Sudanese refugees in Chad were suffering from a severe lack of water, food and shelter.

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