U.S. bishop says Sudan violence becoming 'another human catastrophe'

Published: 2004-05-06

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The head of the U.S. bishops' international policy committee called for urgent action in western Sudan before the region becomes "yet another human catastrophe." Bishop John H. Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., said in a May 5 statement that Sudan's Darfur region "is rapidly becoming the newest symbol of human depravity and ethnic cleansing." The bishop called on the United States and international community to respond to the "humanitarian crisis in Darfur" and pressure Sudan to put an end to the violence in the region. Bishop Ricard said government troops and government-backed militias were attacking civilians and refugee camps and had blocked humanitarian aid from reaching "millions of people in desperate need in what appears to be ethnic cleansing in the region." The bishop said an April 8 cease-fire agreement between the government and the two main rebel groups in Darfur has not been observed. All groups involved in the conflict had committed human rights abuses, the bishop said.

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