ATLANTA – When the United Nations set an Aug. 31 deadline before intervening in the civil war raging in the African country of Sudan, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship donated $10,000 to help World Vision begin its humanitarian efforts immediately.

The war in Sudan has claimed 50,000 civilian lives and displaced more than a million citizens since February 2003, according to the New York Times. War refugees have flooded into encampments, and deteriorating conditions have resulted in outbreaks of cholera and other diseases. It has been reported that more than 200,000 Sudanese have fled the country and sought refuge on the eastern frontier of Chad.

The U.N. deadline was intended to allow the government in Sudan to make an effort to change the situation before outside agencies intervened. But David Harding, the Fellowship’s international coordinator for emergency response and transformational development, said the immediate need is overwhelming. According to the U.N. News Centre, peace talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army are scheduled to resume in Kenya later in October.

"In a way, the world has been watching to see what the Sudanese government is going to do in the Darfur crisis," Harding said. "CBF did not want to wait any longer to respond to the physical suffering of the Sudanese refugees in Chad or of the internally displaced people within Sudan. Though we do not have staff located in the affected region, we can have direct involvement in the distribution of food and non-food items through our partner, World Vision."

World Vision received permission from the Sudan government to operate and provide humanitarian assistance in Darfur. In the provincial capital of Nyala, it is estimated that more than 250,000 people are displaced and in need of assistance.

World Vision officials estimate they will distribute more than 22,000 metric tons of food in the next four to five months at approximately 12 different distribution points, near encampments of displaced citizens.

Harding said the humanitarian needs are first, but the Fellowship will help to bring about long-lasting changes to Sudan.

"It is vitally important that we address the deeper-rooted issues of the crisis," Harding said. "We are deploying a fact-finding team to bring to light human rights violations and search for pathways to stop injustice and bring peace and reconciliation."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.