OXFAM Warns of Humanitarian Crisis in HAITI

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Haiti could face humanitarian crisis if secure circumstances are not created in which humanitarian aid can be delivered, warned international agency Oxfam today.

According to Oxfam assessments, at least 80,000 people in Port de Paix and 60,000 people in Cap Haitien have no access to clean water, many others are short of food and the threat of disease due to poor sanitation is growing. The agency has stressed that an early priority for the peacekeepers must be to secure safe access for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

"Lack of access to sufficient quantities of clean water combined with the general lack of adequate sanitation could soon lead to disastrous outbreaks of water-related disease," said Joost Martens, Oxfam Regional Humanitarian Lead.

"It must be a priority for the multinational interim force to create safe circumstances in which aid can be delivered, while the Haitian parties involved in the conflict should start negotiations to bring stability. Currently, all assistance is stopped for security reasons but there are huge needs on the ground that could lead to catastrophe if the aid does not arrive soon".

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/107824766094.htm