The Current Situation in Darfur: January 2008
Despite the daily dangers, Oxfam staffers are currently providing vital assistance to about 530,000 people affected by the crisis, both in Darfur and eastern Chad. We provide clean water and sanitation services, and carry out public health education programs to try and prevent the spread of disease. We distribute basic necessities such as blankets, soap, and plastic containers for carrying water. As the crisis continues, we are starting projects to provide people with the skills and opportunities to help them earn a living so they won’t have to rely only on external aid. In all our projects, we promote effective management of Darfur’s increasingly scarce natural resources such as water and wood.
Crowded Camps Grow Even Fuller
The humanitarian need continues to rise. Many camps – particularly those near the major towns – are now over capacity, yet people still arrive in search of help. The camps are also becoming more insecure as armed men frequently enter to harass and attack civilians and aid workers.
With the conflict showing no sign of ending, many people expect to be stuck in the camps for a long time. People feel trapped.
“Living in the camps is like living in prison,” said Mohammed Hussein, who now makes his home at Al Salaam camp in North Darfur. People don’t feel it’s safe enough to return to their villages, but there is little for them to do in the camps. They have limited access to economic opportunities that could help them improve their lives and reduce their dependence on aid.
Leaving the camps immediately exposes them to the risk of violence. Even venturing out to collect essential firewood or go to markets puts people at risk of harassment, assault, or death. The majority of people in the camps are women and children, and many of the young children have now spent a large part of their lives living there. The impact of the crisis on a whole generation is likely to have enormous consequences for Darfur’s future.
Violence and Lawlessness Threaten Aid Delivery
Darfur is the world’s largest humanitarian response, with 4 million people in need of assistance. Yet aid agencies’ life-saving work is increasingly threatened by the ongoing violence and lawlessness. As the conflict has become more complex and countless different armed groups have emerged, humanitarian workers and assets have become targets.
Daily violent incidents against aid workers and operations are putting the entire response at risk of collapse. Humanitarian vehicles are regularly hijacked and stolen; staffers are frequently assaulted, intimidated, abducted, robbed; and shot at; and humanitarian compounds and offices are broken into by armed robbers. In October 2007, seven aid workers were killed in Darfur. The perpetrators of this violence are rarely held to account.
Such attacks have greatly disrupted Oxfam’s work, in turn increasing the suffering of civilians who need our help. In September, two Oxfam staffers working inside Kalma camp in South Darfur were hijacked and their vehicle was taken at gunpoint. Earlier in 2007 we had to permanently withdraw our programs from Gereida, Darfur’s largest camp, following a particularly violent attack on aid organzations in which staff were assaulted, shot at, and raped.
Rural areas are particularly difficult to reach, yet they are often where the need is greatest of all. The threat of hijackings means most roads are unsafe and we rely on helicopters for transporting staff members.
Despite the enormous problems, Oxfam is still helping 530,000 people in Darfur and Chad, and we remain fully committed to that task. But as the violence continues, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain this work.
If the humanitarian response is allowed to collapse, the consequences could be catastrophic. In the first years of the crisis, aid agencies had considerable success in stabilizing living conditions in the camps, cutting rates of mortality and malnutrition. But as humanitarian access rapidly decreases there is a danger this progress could be undone.
Three Key Changes Needed
The international community must do more to bring about three key changes that will improve the lives of civilians in Darfur:
1) A cessation of hostilities
Oxfam is calling on all the many parties to the conflict to urgently agree, and adhere to, an immediate cessation of hostilities. The international community should pressure all responsible for the violence to respect international humanitarian law, stop targeting civilians and humanitarians, and create a safe environment for aid operations.
2) A strong protection force
The world has so far failed to protect civilians in Darfur. The African Union sent troops but they were let down by an international community that failed to give them the support and resources they needed. Now the UN Security Council has authorized a larger and stronger force known as the Unied Nationa-African Mission in Darfur, or UNAMID, which took over in January 2008. But its deployment will be a gradual process taking at least a year, and already the force is lacking essential equipment and support. World leaders must do much more to ensure that UNAMID is as strong as possible, and that the people of Darfur at long last have a force capable of protecting them.
3) An inclusive peace agreement
Ultimately the political process is the only long term, sustainable solution to the conflict. But the latest round of talks have so far been boycotted by many rebel movements and undermined by a lack of inclusion of Darfur civil society. Greater effort must be made to invigorate fully inclusive political discussions and the international community must provide coordinated and sustained leadership. However, a successful peace process takes time and must not be rushed through. In the meantime, the people of Darfur need an end to the violence and greater immediate protection.