In the News
UNAMID Peacekeepers Released
Nyala — Four UNAMID peacekeepers from South Africa were today safely released after being held in captivity for 16 days.
"We are grateful to have our colleagues back with us. This day would not have been possible, had it not been for the good cooperation of the Government of the Sudan and the local authorities of South Darfur," said UNAMID Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari, who was in Nyala to greet the released peacekeepers.
Rebels Criticize MINURCAT Downsizing Agreement
The Union forces of resistance (UFR), which includes the main rebel factions have denounced the agreement between Chad and the UN on the UN Mission to Central Africa and Chad, worrying about the refugees’ security. The UN and Chad have finally reached an agreement on Friday that extends the mandate of MINURCAT until October at least. Its workforce will be reduced to 1,900 men and the mission will be redefined. The Chadian government shows little seriousness to the protection of the refugees and displaced Chadians. Decisions have been taken without consultation and in the most total improvisation.
Chad, Sudan Reopen Border Crossing
The border between Sudan and Chad has reopened after seven years of tension between the two countries, Chadian officials said. This is another sign of recovered relations between the former rivals.
Hassan Ibrahim, a local official in Adre about 34 kilometres (21 miles) from El-Geneina in Darfur, told AFP that the border was reopened last week and traffic is moving freely between the two countries.
Darfur Refugee Camp Destroyed by Sudan Authorities
Sudanese police have demolished the homes in a refugee camp in the outskirts of Khartoum on Monday, but residents refuse to move on. The act coincides with the upcoming multi-party polls in 3 weeks. It will be the first time in 24 long years.
After U.N. condemnations, Sudan had stopped most demolishing of refugee homes and forced relocations surrounding the capital. But on Sunday night residents of Soba al-Shahanat saw dozens of their homes and shops demolished by bulldozers. When they refused to go, police cordoned off the area, hindering the delivery of fresh food and water.
Sudan is 'Hungriest Place on Earth,' Children Are Starving
After years of battling drought and civil and tribal wars, Sudan, the largest country on the African continent, is experiencing looming famine. An entire population is teetering on the verge of severe starvation, and the children are the ones who are mostly affected: little ones with eyes that are sunken in, reed-thin legs barely able to support them, exposed ribs, distended bellies, skin barely clinging to their bones, and gazes that are lifeless are just biding their time, waiting to die.
The number of people in southern Sudan who are in dire need of food assistance has more than quadrupled, from 1 million in 2009 to 4.3 million this year, according to the U.N. Thus far, charitable organizations have fed an estimated 80,000 people, but experts are theorizing that the worst is yet to come because the harvest is not expected until fall, and that is dependent on whether the rains come at all. Even if the rains come, though, there are no seeds for the people to plant and grow their food.
UNHCR Unites Refugees and Host Communities in Chad
Two years ago, UNHCR closed health centres in two refugee camps in the south of Chad and opened a new one in a local village between the camps. It could serve as a symbol of all the refugee agency's policies in the area: UNHCR understood that both fairness and success required showing concern for refugees and their hosts in exile.
The UNHCR office in the town of Gore used to initiate small-scale projects, like drilling wells that benefitted the local population, on an ad-hoc basis to reduce potential resentment of the refugees. But since 2008, UNHCR has systematically promoted initiatives to help integrate refugees into the local community.
In Chad, Locals Celebrate Their Radio Station’s Official Inauguration
"Imagine what you feel as a refugee who's lost everything. Radio gives you comfort; you feel closer to your relatives through news and the local languages used at the station," said Madji Rimabar, representative of Chad's High Council for Communication (HCC), speaking at the official opening on December 16 of Radio Sila, one of three Internews radio stations in Eastern Chad.
Rimabar also encouraged Radio Sila's journalists to keep on improving refugees' lives.
As part of its Humanitarian Information Service project, Internews kick started Radio Sila in April 2007 in Goz Beida, a small town situated 100 km from the border with Sudan. With an initial team of five journalists, the area's only local FM station now broadcasts 6.5 hours daily of news, magazines and live interactive sensitization programs in a variety of local languages.
Chad: Complex Emergency Situation Report #2
Widespread conflict, displacement, and limited resources, as well as periodic poor harvests, have contributed to a complex emergency in Chad. Inter-ethnic conflict, fighting between Government of Chad (GoC) forces and armed opposition groups, and cross-border raids from Sudanese militias based in neighboring Darfur had resulted in more than 170,000 internally displaced Chadians as of December 2009, leading to an increased need for humanitarian services.
Displacement within Chad has occurred in the context of an existing humanitarian emergency marked by the presence of more than 270,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled into the eastern region of Chad since the start of the Darfur complex emergency in 2003. According to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated 350,000 refugees from Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) resided in camps in eastern and southern Chad as of December 2009, taxing limited local resources. In addition to affecting internally displaced and refugee populations, the regional conflict continues to impact Chadian communities that host internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, affecting local agriculture, livestock rearing, and other livelihood activities.
Darfur Now More than Ever
In recent weeks several commentators have declared the Save Darfur movement variously as no longer useful, confused, or stuck in the past. Such assertions belie a misunderstanding of what the Save Darfur movement is all about. Darfuris continue to suffer, and as national elections and the referendum on independence for South Sudan grow closer, it is clear that the problems of Darfur will not be solved in the absence of major governance reform in Sudan, and conversely that the myriad of problems facing Sudan cannot be resolved until peace is secured in Darfur. Resolving the Darfur conflict is critical not just for the people of Darfur, but for the future of Sudan and the stability of the entire region. Rather than being past its expiration date, the Save Darfur movement is needed now more than ever.
Relative Quiet in Darfur: A Window for Progress in Sudan and Eastern Chad
International nongovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies have created and supported hundreds of new schools in refugee camps in Darfur and eastern Chad. The fact that they have been successful is big news considering the region has been gripped by genocide and unrest for years. Today, there is relative calm and more children – particularly girls – are getting an education. This points to the chance for major progress in the region.
At the same time, last month’s agreement between Sudan and Chad to stop supporting each other’s proxy armies, and recent accords signed this month with some powerful rebel factions, have set the stage for such productive opportunities in Darfur.
Now comes the harder work for the international community: shifting beyond funding purely humanitarian projects toward economic development. Only through such development can Darfur avoid falling into another war.
