|PIC1|The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development is calling on Christians to offer what they can towards a £3m appeal for vital aid for the millions who continue to suffer in Darfur and Chad.

The Darfur & Chad Emergency Appeal has been launched at a time of swelling humanitarian crisis and insecurity in the region.

Despite an agreement last week between the presidents of Chad and Sudan to stop conflict spilling across their borders, humanitarian workers in the area are skeptical that it will halt the violence or do much to ease the suffering of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict.

"We can't just walk away from the people we have been supporting for the last three years," said CAFOD director Chris Bain.

CAFOD is continuing to support the 250,000 refugees who have crossed the border into neighbouring eastern Chad, which is struggling to cope with its own 140,000 displaced people because of internal conflict. The refugees have been forced to stay in overcrowded camps, unable to return to their homes until the conflict subsides.

Yet the humanitarian conditions in the camps are "dire", warned Bain, and they are relying on humanitarian agencies like CAFOD to provide them with the goods and services they need to survive.

"We need to carry on the vital work in areas such as health clinics, feeding centres, water and sanitation. Our support is crucial for the well-being and survival of the victims of this conflict," he said.

"More money is now urgently needed - in what is being called 'the world's worst humanitarian crisis' - to make sure people in both Darfur and Chad have basic necessities like clean water and shelter."

According to UN estimates, more than 200,000 people have been killed as a result of the ongoing conflict in Darfur between militias and Sudanese government forces, while at least two million people have had to flee their homes.

A further one million living in the surrounding towns and villages are hosting homeless families, and have also been affected by the intensified fighting and violence, CAFOD said.

CAFOD has been in Darfur since the crisis first arose in 2004 through ACT/Caritas, a network of faith-based and Sudanese aid agencies, and continues to operate in increasingly dangerous circumstances.

Just last week, The Independent reported that violent attacks on humanitarian workers were reaching breaking point.

"We are on the brink," said Oxfam's Alun McDonald in the report. "In terms of violent attacks on aid workers things are worse than they have ever been in Darfur. Access to the people in need is at the lowest point since 2004.

"It is becoming increasingly difficult to do our job. We are still completely committed to staying but unless we see an improvement there is always the risk that the whole operation could collapse."

CAFOD is continuing to provide emergency relief through ACT/Caritas for the thousands of refugees crowding the make-shift camps, including shelter, safe water and sanitation for the vulnerable women, children and men.

Now the agency is calling on the international community to put its weight behind securing inclusive dialogue in both Chad and Darfur.

"Only dialogue will provide long-term peace and address the historical root causes of the conflict," the agency said.

To donate to the CAFOD appeal, please click HERE