Morale Among Sudan Aid Workers 'Fragile', Says U.N. Humanitarian Chief

The United Nations' new humanitarian chief has warned of low morale among relief workers operating in the Darfur region of Africa's Sudan.

John Holmes said that morale among humanitarian staff is fragile at the best and that even one major security incident could instigate a "humanitarian collapse," which in turn could affect tens of thousands of refugees currently under the care of agencies in the region.

Already hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the four-year conflict are feeling cut off, he stated, according to a BBC report. The United Nations' top humanitarian official is currently on a tour of Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic

Currently many security road blocks are in place across the Darfur region, which has limited the access of aid agencies to deliver vital medical, food and water supplies.

Furthermore, aid agencies including World Vision and Oxfam International had warned earlier this year that the enormous humanitarian response in Darfur was in danger of soon being paralyzed unless urgent action was taken to end rising violence against civilians and aid workers.

In his recent comments, Holmes said, "I hope the fact that I'm new can enable me to make a bit of a new start with the Sudanese government here. That's what I'm trying to do. And if I can make some forward progress on that basis so much the better."