In 2009, Sudan continues to cope with the effects of conflict, displacement, and insecurity countrywide. Since 2003, a complex emergency in Sudan's western region of Darfur has affected more than 4.7 million people, including nearly 2.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). In Darfur, fighting among armed opposition factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), militias, and ethnic groups continues. According to the U.N., clashes have displaced approximately 317,000 individuals within Darfur and to eastern Chad since January 2008. At the same time, humanitarian agencies have experienced reduced access to affected populations since 2006 due to increased insecurity, attacks on aid workers, and bureaucratic impediments to program implementation.