Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers about Oxfam's work on the Darfur crisis.
What is happening in Darfur and Chad?
Since early 2003, ongoing violence in the Darfur region of western Sudan has forced 2.5 million people from their homes. Many have seen their villages burned and their family members killed, abducted, and sexually assaulted. Those who have survived have fled for safety to crowded camps and towns where they now live in makeshift shelters, in constant fear of further violence. About 250,000 people have crossed the border into Chad and are living in refugee camps.How did the conflict start?
In early 2003, two rebel groups from Darfur—the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)—launched major offensives on government bases in Darfur. The rebel groups claimed that Darfur had suffered decades of political marginalization and economic neglect from the Khartoum-based government. The government responded militarily and the fighting escalated. Arab militia, commonly known as Janjaweed, attacked villages and forced the inhabitants from their homes – particularly those villages and tribes thought to be sympathetic to the rebels. It is widely believed that some of these militias were encouraged and supported by the government.Today the situation has grown increasingly complex. The rebel groups have splintered into various factions, some split along tribal lines, and there are now more than half a dozen different Darfur rebel groups as well as government forces, Arab militias, and also armed groups from Chad. Despite the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006—by only two of the many warring parties—the conflict shows no sign of abating.
How many people have died?
Reports on the numbers of people who have died in the conflict vary widely. Figures range from 180,000 to as high as 400,000. Violence is only one cause of death. Many people also died from illness and malnutrition, though the enormous humanitarian response has largely managed to stabilize conditions in the camps. But renewed insecurity is again threatening this progress. During 2007, more than 300,000 people fled the ongoing violence, some of them for the second, third, and fourth times.How is insecurity in the region affecting the situation?
The Darfur Peace Agreement, signed in May, 2006 between the government and one of the now numerous rebel groups, has yet to bring security to Darfur. In fact, since the signing the situation has deteriorated further, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands more people.The ongoing violence against civilians and targeted attacks on aid workers are severely threatening the international humanitarian effort. Oxfam recently warned that the entire response – upon which more than four million people in Darfur depend – is at risk of collapsing unless the attacks stop. Incidents against aid workers and operations are now occurring on a daily basis. 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 one month alone—October 2007—seven aid workers were killed in Darfur.
What are the conditions like in the camps?
The humanitarian response in Darfur and Chad has been immense—and now stands as the largest in the world. But the sheer magnitude of the crisis is overwhelming: 2.5 million people homeless, 4.5 million people needing aid. Some of the camps are the size of small cities, and despite the best efforts of aid agencies, many are still overcrowded, unhygienic, and offer only the most basic facilities.Thanks to the work of agencies such as Oxfam, most people now have some form of shelter and access to at least some clean water and basic sanitation facilities. But they have little else. Some villagers managed to flee with a few head of livestock, but many animals died during the trek to the camps or were stolen. Often, people have arrived with only the clothes they were wearing. Newcomers continue to make their way to the camps in search of food, safety, and water.
During the dry season, water can be in short supply and it's not always possible for aid groups to supply the minimum emergency amount of four gallons per person per day.
With so many people living in cramped conditions, the risk of disease is enormous, particularly when the temperatures soar and the rains come. Attacks on aid workers and humanitarian vehicles have also reduced the amount of aid that can be delivered to many areas. Malnutrition, diarrhea, cholera, and hepatitis E are among the most common threats.
People who venture beyond the safety of the camps risk being attacked. There are continual reports of women being beaten or sexually assaulted when they leave the camps to collect wood for their cooking fires or fodder for their animals.
How does the weather affect the situation?
The rainy season in Darfur lasts from June to October, and many areas where displaced people now live tend to flood. Paved roads are rare outside the main towns, and the rains make travel and the shipment of supplies difficult, or in some cases impossible. The rains may cut some areas off entirely. An increase in mosquitoes during the rainy season also brings the threat of malaria. One of Oxfam’s key programs during the rainy season is back-filling the pools of water that gather in the camps and are breeding grounds for mosquito larvae.Do people have enough to eat?
Again, the presence of aid agencies has been largely successful in stabilizing the high rates of malnutrition that were seen earlier in the conflict. But as security has again deteriorated, and humanitarian access has diminished, that success is now threatened.How long will the crisis last?
It is impossible to tell.. The fighting and insecurity that led many people to flee their homes have not stopped, and most displaced people are still too afraid to even consider returning to their villages. In many cases, even if they could go back they have nothing to return to.The temporary camps and shelters are likely to remain home for hundreds of thousands of people for months to come. Oxfam is planning to provide humanitarian aid in Darfur for the foreseeable future.
What is Oxfam doing to help?
Oxfam has a long history in Darfur. We have been there since 1985, when we responded to that year’s drought, and have since forged close ties with local communities, working on long-term livelihoods and development projects in rural areas.In response to the current crisis, we are working to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases by making sure that people have access to clean water and a safe means of disposing of fecal wastes. We have been drilling wells, setting up water tanks, digging thousands of latrines, and building washing facilities. We have also been distributing essential household items such as plastic jugs for transporting water, soap, sanitary cloths, clean clothes, ground sheets, blankets, and plastic sheeting for building shelters.
This work goes hand in hand with extensive public health education. We train members of the community to educate others about sanitation and personal hygiene, and about the importance of keeping toilets and washing facilities clean. We work closely with community groups to help us understand the needs and priorities of the people we are helping, to be sure we are responding in the most appropriate way. Oxfam's goal is not only to restore health and reduce disease but to help people recover some of their lost dignity.
How many people is Oxfam helping?
As of January, 2008, we are helping about 435,000 people in Darfur and about 95,000 others in Chad.Where is Oxfam working?
Oxfam is one of the few aid agencies currently working in all three Darfur states, as well as in Chad. We have programs in North Darfur at Abu Shouk camp, Al Salaam camp, the town of Kebkabiya and the rural areas around it, and Shangil Tobai camp. In South Darfur we are working at Kalma camp and in Kass town and in the surrounding camps. In West Darfur, we have a program around the town of Um Dukhun. Oxfam also continues to work elsewhere in Sudan: in Khartoum (the capital), Red Sea State, and in various locations in southern Sudan.How many staff members work for Oxfam in Darfur and what do they do?
Oxfam has about 25 international staffers and about 300 Sudanese staffers working in the region, as well as many volunteers in the camps themselves. Among them are engineers, public health promoters, accountants, logisticians, project managers, protection advisors, and administrators.Many of our staffers have worked for Oxfam or other aid groups for many years. Among the countries they come from are Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, England, Eritrea, India, Iraq, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Scotland, Sierra Leone, United States, Wales, Yemen, and Zambia.