BRUSSELS, Aug 25 (AFP) - The European Commission announced Wednesday a further 20 million euros (24 million dollars) in aid for Sudan's war-torn western region of Darfur, saying the situation in the region had not improved.
The Commission, the EU's executive arm, said that 15 million euros from the donation would be used to support World Food Programme operations in Darfur and the balance of five million euros would go to humanitarian agencies.
"The humanitarian situation in Darfur is still extremely worrying, and by all accounts could deteriorate further," said Poul Nielson, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Development.
"Continuing violence in the region has claimed the lives of thousands of people, and is seriously hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid," he added.
The new funds are expected to provide victims of the 18-month conflict "with food, nutritional support, shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, emergency health care and protection of vulnerable civilians," according to the commission.
"The situation is still not optimistic from a humanitarian point of view," Peter Holdsworth, of the EC's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) in the Sudanese capital, through which the funds will be channelled, told reporters.
The donation brings to 104 million euros the EC's total humanitarian assistance for Darfur since the beginning of this year.
Between 30,000 and 50,000 people have died in the conflict in Darfur between rebel groups and government forces, with more than a million displaced from their homes and a further 180,000 driven into exile in neighboring Chad, according to the United Nations.
Commissioner Nielson noted that Brussels had progressively increased its aid for the crisis since last year "and has been actively advocating for access for aid workers and a peaceful solution to the conflict.
"All armed groups must bring this violence to an end once and for all. The people of Darfur have already suffered too much," he said.