In troubled Darfur: 'A humanitarian problem that will not go away quickly'

NYALA (West Darfur) - Recent killings of African Union peacekeepers and World Food Programme contract drivers combined with detentions of humanitarian workers in the conflict-ridden Darfur region of western Sudan are just the latest examples of a deteriorating situation, which is prompting increased anxiety by those affected by the ongoing crisis, as well as by those responding to the emergency, soon to enter its fifth year.

The recent attacks by rebels against African Union peacekeepers in North Darfur - resulting in the deaths of ten AU troops from Nigeria, Botswana, Senegal and Mali - have only heightened those worries, as has the recent detention of three humanitarian workers affiliated with the joint Action by Churches Together (ACT)-Caritas Darfur Emergency Response Operation.

Representatives of several U.S. and European church-based humanitarian agencies supporting the joint Action by Churches Together (ACT)-Caritas program who visited Darfur just prior to the recent incidents confirmed warnings made by the United Nations that Darfur is experiencing a fresh cycle of violence and increased insecurity. These trends are making it increasingly difficult for humanitarian agencies to safely and adequately respond in Darfur.

From June until late August, the United Nations reported, 55,000 new persons had been displaced in the region -- bringing the total number of those uprooted this year to some 250,000. In all, the UN estimates, 2.2 million of Darfur's 6.4 million people have been displaced, and four million are now dependent on some form of humanitarian assistance.

Patched together, discussions with those recently displaced, with those who have been in established camps for some time, and with Sudanese and non-Sudanese humanitarian responders combine to produce an unsettling snapshot of a region undergoing rapid and potentially troubling changes.

"We have a humanitarian problem that will not go away quickly," said John Distefano, ACT-Caritas Darfur Emergency Response Operation director.

Yet responding to the situation remains problematic now: The 30-hour detention and subsequent release of the ACT-Caritas staff by an armed group in late September resulted in a suspension of non-life-saving work of the ACT-Caritas humanitarian operation in and around the West Darfur community of Zalingei.

"We have strict security protocols in place to safeguard our staff and ensure that we don't inadvertently put those we assist at risk, but security is very fluid in this area," Distefano said.

At the same time, Distefano and others involved in the program have stressed that the church-supported work of the ACT-Caritas program continues to save lives and must continue.

The recent incident fell into a larger pattern of insecurity that is making it difficult to respond to the ongoing situation in Darfur, with humanitarian groups facing not only detentions, but also acts of banditry and car-jackings.

More broadly, other worries are increasing armed clashes between and among armed groups representing differing tribal, ethnic and political groupings, which are prompting the new cycle of displacements, as well as increased tensions within camps for the displaced, as those who have lived there for some time become increasingly politicized and anxious that the political situation within Darfur be settled.

Adding to anxiety within the camps are long-standing fears of attacks and rape by outside militias; idleness and boredom within the camps, particularly by youths with little to do; questions about the critical issue of civilian "protection" and when -- and even if -- it will be safe for the displaced to return to their home villages.

Another dynamic at play: potentially unrealistic hopes that these problems will be quickly ameliorated by the presence of so-called "hybrid" UN and AU forces that are expected to deploy by the beginning of next year, if not sooner. Despite general caution by humanitarian workers about the role of the UN forces, there is a desire that a comprehensive political settlement to Darfur's problems could engender much-needed "humanitarian space" for those who have borne the brunt of the conflict in Darfur -- civilians, and in the main, women and children.

Without such a comprehensive settlement, said one UN official, "there will continue to be an increase in the numbers of those displaced."

In recent months, their ranks have included Mariam, a 40-year-old mother and grandmother who has been living at one of the camps at the edge of Zalingei. The camp is among the sites where the ACT-Caritas program is working.

Speaking under a plastic tarp just as one of the all-too-common morning drizzles of Darfur's rainy season began, Mariam said she was displaced eight months ago by attacks in which husband and son-in-law were killed, forcing her to support a household of six children - five of her own and a grandchild.

She said she would not currently opt to return to her village 93 miles (150 kilometers) away, given continued insecurity in her home region, the free schooling her daughter is now receiving in the camp -- schooling in her village involved school fees that were difficult to pay -- and the need to eke out a living without a male bread-winner.

Mariam's dilemma is all-too common in Darfur, shedding a small glimpse on the ways the conflict has changed the "cosmos" of those displaced, particularly women who, often by necessity, are now challenging the one-time domain of men in local leadership roles.

"Things keep changing," ACT-Caritas' Katherine Ireri said of the fluid social and humanitarian situation in Darfur. As a field coordinator in Nyala, Ireri observes, "Next year we might be talking about something entirely different."



Chris Herlinger, a staffer with ACT member, Church World Service, in the United States, was among those who travelled to Darfur on a visit that ended 3 September. Others in the group represented Christian Aid (Great Britain); the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (United States); and Secours Catholique (France).

Action by Churches Together International (ACT) and Caritas Internationalis (CI) are working together in a joint response to the Darfur crisis. ACT International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organizations present in 200 countries and territories.