The United Nations believes that more than 180,000 people may have died in the troubled Darfur region in western Sudan.Eric Reeves estimates in his analysis that approximately 380,000 people have died and that the current mortality rate is approximately 15,000 deaths per month. While we may never know the actual number, at least this new 180,000 figure will force the press to stop citing the outdated and inaccurate 70,000 figure they have been using for five months.
According to the organizations top emergency coordination official, Jan Egeland, the number refers to people who have died of malnutrition and disease, and does not cover those who have been killed in the conflict that started a little over two years ago.
Previous estimates put the number of deaths, from violence as well as illness and starvation, at 70,000.
What needs to be understood here is that, even under the UN's conservative estimate, some 10,000 people are dying in Darfur every month.
[On a side note, a Factiva search of major news sources shows that, in the last week, there have been 428 reports mentioning Brian Nichols (the guy who killed 3 people in an Atlanta courthouse) compared to 204 mentioning Darfur.]
You can read the rest of the Daily Darfur here.
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