In Darfur, Oxfam Helps New Flow of Refugees
19 December 2006
But growing insecurity threatens aid across the region
In addition to its ongoing support to nearly 500,000 people in the region, Oxfam is helping more than 1,000 new refugees who have arrived in Um Dukhun in West Darfur, Sudan, in recent weeks. As the situation on all sides of the Darfur border deteriorates and the crisis spreads through the region, most of the new arrivals are fleeing increased violence in the Central African Republic (CAR). Others have come from Chad.
“Many of the refugees arrived in Um Dukhun with virtually nothing as they fled in such a hurry to escape the fighting,” said Caroline Nursey, Oxfam’s Sudan country program manager. “They desperately need assistance.”
Oxfam, which has been providing water and sanitation to about 40,000 conflict-affected people in the town and surrounding villages, is working with other aid groups and local authorities to meet the needs of the new arrivals. The agency is digging additional wells to increase the water supply. It’s also distributing clean buckets and plastic jugs to carry that water, as well as blankets and plastic sheeting to enable refugees to construct temporary shelters.
Um Dukhun is at the southern tip of West Darfur state, close to where the borders of Darfur, Chad, and Central African Republic (CAR) intersect. More than 960 refugees have arrived so far from the Barao area of CAR, which is just 31 miles from the Darfur border. They say rebel groups there attacked and burned their villages last month. Some travelled on foot for several days to reach Um Dukhun. In addition, nearly 200 refugees have also arrived from southeast Chad, describing militia attacking villages, entering farmland, and threatening civilians.
But even as Oxfam strives to meet the urgent needs of the newcomers in Um Dukhun, growing violence across Darfur threatens the ability of aid workers to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of other people, many of whom have been displaced since the conflict broke out in 2003. In early December, increased military activity, banditry, and direct violence against aid workers led to the temporary evacuation of 250 of them from key locations in the region. By the middle of the month, access to people in need was at its lowest point since mid-2004.
“If the deterioration is allowed to continue, the impact on civilians could be devastating,” said Paul Smith-Lomas, a regional director for Oxfam. “With new displacements and attacks, the presence of aid agencies is more important than ever.”
A number of aid agencies, including Oxfam, have demanded that all parties agree to a ceasefire in Darfur.
The conflict has also spilled across the border into Chad where a wave of violence forced the temporary evacuation of more than 400 aid workers in eastern part of the country in the first two weeks of December, and seriously interrupted their ability to provide assistance to many of the Sudanese refugees seeking safety there. Tons of basic materials, including food, tents, and medical supplies, have been lost in the fighting.
The situation in eastern Chad has worsened considerably, with new displacements of civilians and rebel attacks on major towns. Armed groups from both Chad and Darfur regularly cross the border, and civilians have been targeted directly or caught up in fighting. In West Darfur, weapons are increasingly prevalent inside camps for displaced people.
