|
You are here:
PolitInfo.com > News & Articles >
Darfur Rainy Season Slows Humanitarian Efforts
Sep 13, 2005 Washington
Fighting and insecurity remain a problem in parts of Sudan's Darfur region, while the rainy season is interfering with humanitarian relief operations.
Nicki Bennett is a spokesperson for the aid group OXFAM. From the town of Gereida in South Darfur, she spoke by satellite phone to VOA about conditions in the region.
Ms. Bennett says, “The security situation in Darfur hasn’t changed much over the last few months. It’s certainly gotten better than it was this time last year, but it’s simply not good enough at the moment. There are two million people still living in camps in Darfur. And in South Darfur, where I am right now, this camp has about 50,000 people. The humanitarian situation has improved a little bit in the sense that the NGOs are here. The aid agencies are getting supplies to people. But there’s still no sign that the people will be going home anytime soon because security is still a problem.” OXFAM has received reports that since August, in West Darfur, there have been 11 attacks or robberies involving aid agency employees, alone.
Asked about the presence of African Union forces, she says, “In Gereida, there’ve been African Union forces since February, which is a great thing. The African Union forces have improved security in areas where they have been deployed to. The problem is there’s not enough of them. Right now, there’s 4,700 of them on the ground. But deployment has been interrupted at the moment because of the rainy season, so we won’t be seeing any new ones for the next three weeks or so. And even once we get up to 7,000 you have to remember…the region is the size of France.”
While the AU troops have improved security in camps and towns, outside of those areas is still very dangerous. The rainy season has caused problems. The OXFAM spokesperson says, “It rains most days, sometimes you get a lull for two or three days. But when it rains, it rains very hard and what that means is the shelters get flooded, supplies wash away, people are losing their jerry cans, their blankets, their mats. Sometimes the houses, if they’ve been built with mud walls, can collapse. So the aid agencies are really working very hard to make sure people have decent shelters. And also to prevent water borne diseases…human waste, animal waste being flooded inside the camps.”
Pools of water also allow mosquitoes to breed, raising the risk of malaria. Despite those conditions, OXFAM says it is planning to expand its operations. It currently aids 670,000 people in the three Darfur states.
This article uses material from VOA.
Related Articles:
- Darfur Sides Consult in Nigeria on New Talks
Sudan's Darfur warring parties are breaking away for internal consultation after being urged at the opening of negotiations in Abuja, Nigeria, to make more of an effort to reach a peace accord, in this the sixth round of talks.
- Rising Tension, Confusion Ahead of Darfur Peace Talks
The largest rebel group in Sudan's Darfur region has threatened to back out of African Union-brokered peace talks with the government just as the talks were to resume in Abuja, Nigeria.
- Sudan, Darfur Combatants Prepare for New Round of Peace Talks
Negotiators from the Sudanese government and two Darfur rebel groups are expected in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, for a new round of peace talks to begin on Thursday.
- Fuel Shortage in Sudan Cripples Food Deliveries
A fuel shortage in Sudan has caused the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to cut emergency deliveries of food to more than a million people in the south of the country.
- Darfur Rainy Season Slows Humanitarian Efforts
Fighting and insecurity remain a problem in parts of Sudan's Darfur region, while the rainy season is interfering with humanitarian relief operations.
- Sudan Government Formation Delayed
The formation of Sudan's unity government has been delayed yet again, prompting fears that the northern government in Sudan is not ready to commit to power sharing with the former southern rebels.
- Southern Sudanese Mark 40 Days Since Garang's Death
Displaced Southern Sudanese have marked 40 days since the death of former southern rebel John Garang, who was killed in a helicopter crash just days after being named vice president in a unity government.
- AU Says Ongoing Insecurity Jeopardises Darfur Peace Talks
Continuous attacks by rebel groups on humanitarian workers, Arab nomads and villages in the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur could jeopardise the success of the Abuja peace talks, the head of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)has warned.
- UN Says Shaky Security in Darfur Hinders Humanitarian Aid
The United Nations reports banditry, looting and fighting in Sudan's western Darfur region have disrupted the distribution of humanitarian aid.
- Sudanese Vice President Discusses Garang Investigation With Ugandan President
Sudan's Vice President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has discussed the investigation into the death of his predecessor, John Garang, with the Ugandan president.
|
