UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A 4.1-billion-U.S.-dollar appeal to aid victims of the Sudan civil war is a stark reminder of a dire situation, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.

"We and our partners appealed for 2.7 billion U.S. dollars at an event in Geneva to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs of civilians in Sudan and another 1.4 billion to support 2.7 million people who are living in five countries outside of Sudan and have been pushed out by conflict," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "That is 4.1 billion U.S. dollars combined."

Dujarric said intense hostilities continue to damage critical civilian infrastructure, and nearly three-quarters of health facilities are out of service in states impacted by the hostilities, while diseases including cholera, measles and malaria are spreading.

"From Geneva, our emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, stressed that last year's appeal was less than half funded, and there is a need to do better this year," said Dujarric.

The high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, said the message he got from refugees was that they want peace "so that they can be able to go back home and rebuild their lives."

The spokesman said, "We urge generous donors to listen to these voices, and to contribute and help the people of Sudan who are in need."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Situation Report said there are more than 10,500 cases of cholera, including nearly 300 deaths in Sudan.

Last week, the International Organization for Migrants said there were more than 9 million internally displaced people in Sudan, making it the largest internal displacement crisis in the world.

Sudan refugees are in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Enditem

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