Geneva  - The Red Cross called Monday for an extra 19 million US dollars in aid to help refugees in Darfur in western Sudan.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it needed the extra funding to assist 130,000 refugees in Gereida camp, one of the biggest facilities for displaced people in Darfur.

The Red Cross said it needed the money as it was prolonging its operation there. It had hoped to hand over control to other aid agencies in July but ongoing insecurity meant no-one had yet stepped in.

"Our aim is to increase our focus on helping vulnerable people in remote rural communities in Darfur. However, our discussions with various organizations interested in working in the camp have not yet produced a final agreement," said Daniel Duvillard, head of ICRC operations for the Horn of Africa.

The organization has been the main humanitarian agency at the camp since December 2006 when deteriorating security and attacks on humanitarian workers forced almost all other organizations to leave.

Numbers have swelled at the camp with an additional 9,000 people arriving since the end of last year. Most fled their homes because of violence, lawlessness and insufficient access to drinking water, basic health care and other services.

The ICRC has more than 300 staff at Gereida working alongside Sudanese Red Cross volunteers.

The extra funding brings its 2008 budget for Sudan to 121 million dollars. (dpa)