KHARTOUM, Sudan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The U.N. refugee agency warns massive displacements resulting from the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Darfur region threaten to destabilize the entire region.
In a statement issued Friday in Geneva, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said if the situation does not improve, "We're heading for a major catastrophe."
Since the start of the Darfur crisis, which some, including U.S. President George W. Bush, have labeled genocide, more than 2 million people have been displaced from their homes.
Neighboring Chad, where 12 UNHCR camps currently hold more than 200,000 Darfur refugees, is trying to contain cross-border insecurity that has displaced some 50,000 Chadians -- sending about 15,000 of them fleeing into Darfur.
Guterres said the crisis also has the potential to exacerbate continuing instability in the northern Central African Republic, which is south of Chad.
"Deteriorating security has left us unable to provide even minimal help across wide areas of Darfur and resources in neighboring Chad have been stretched to the limit," Guterres said. "An already bad situation is worsening by the day."
"It is hard to comprehend the enormity of the crisis we would face if there is additional large-scale displacement in Darfur. Even without the violence and insecurity, humanitarian operations in this remote and resource-poor region are extremely difficult," Guterres continued.
A sense of insecurity in the region has been exacerbated by the recent impasse surrounding a U.N. Security Council decision, following months of deliberation, to deploy a peacekeeping force in Darfur.
The government Khartoum has voiced opposition to a U.N. peacekeeping presence in Darfur.
In addition, thousands of Sudanese troops have been deployed to Darfur in recent weeks, prompting fears of a major military offensive that could lead to further displacement.
