 Canada has also participated in the failed peace efforts in the Darfur region of Sudan where a bitter conflict since 2003 has killed nearly a quarter-million people.The Conservative government announced on March 1, 2007, an additional funding of $48 million in order to assist the African Unionpeacekeeping efforts as well as giving the population affected by the conflict access to urgent needs.Since 2003, more than $190 million were pledged by Canada, as well as shipping humanitarian goods to the Darfur region.