|
|
 Re: Carter urges Sudan ceasefire to eradicate Guinea worm (Re: Kostawi)
|
Sudan opens guinea worm conference with call for peace
KHARTOUM, Sudan, Mar 04, 2002 (AP) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Sudan's leader stood side-by-side Monday to open a health conference with a plea for peace in Sudan after 19 years of civil war.
"We say: 'The war imposed on us is the main impediment to the eradication of this disease,"' President Lt. Gen. Omar el-Bashir said at the four-day conference on the eradication of guinea worms, which bore their way under human skin and can lead to pain, ulcers, fever, and joint deformities.
"We cannot eradicate guinea worm without peace in the Sudan," said Carter, who in 1995 brokered a six-month cease-fire to allow aid workers to take the guinea worm eradication campaign for the first time to parts of southern Sudan.
According to UNICEF, 78 percent of the world's guinea worm cases are in Sudan. Experts say 99 percent of Sudan's 49,583 guinea worm cases are in the war-affected south.
Sudan's civil war pits rebels fighting for autonomy for the south, where most people follow traditional beliefs, against the Sudanese government, which enforces Islamic law where it is in control. Fighting and war-induced famine have killed more than 2 million people.
According to the Carter Center, the former president's development and peace think tank, the war in southern Sudan has prevented aid workers from providing water filters, medicine, vitamins and vaccinations for children.
Guinea worms can grow up to one meter (yard) in the bodies of humans who consumed water infested with their larvae. Guinea worms are sometimes known as fiery serpents because of the burning pain they cause as they emerge slowly from the human body to lay their eggs. They often emerge from the feet or ankles, making it impossible for the victim to walk, and dangerous infections can result when they break through the skin.
Sudan's University of Juba awarded Carter an honorary doctorate Monday for his humanitarian work.
As president, Carter brokered the 1978 Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel that produced the Middle East's first peace treaty. Since leaving office in 1980, he has devoted himself to helping settle several international conflicts, building homes for the poor and tackling health issues in the developing world.
On the Web:
http://www.cartercenter.org
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Kostawi
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست