Darfur crisis in depth
The humanitarian response in Darfur and eastern Chad is the world’s largest, with 4.5 million people – the majority of them women and children – in need of assistance. Many camps, particularly those near major towns, are overcrowded, yet more people arrive all the time in search of safety. Needs are greatest in rural areas, but these are the hardest and most dangerous places to reach.
In the first years of the crisis, aid agencies succeeded in stabilizing living conditions in the camps, cutting rates of mortality and malnutrition. But there is a real danger that this progress could be undone.
A climate of violence
Aid agencies are finding it increasingly hard to help those in need in a climate of violence and lawlessness. As the conflict becomes more complex and new armed groups emerge, humanitarian workers have been assaulted and threatened, and their vehicles and equipment stolen. 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, which in turn increases the suffering of civilians who need our help. In September 2007, two Oxfam staff were abducted at gunpoint from Kalma camp in South Darfur. Earlier in 2007, we had to permanently withdraw our programs in Gereida, Darfur’s largest camp, following a particularly violent attack on aid workers.
Respecting human rights
Despite the enormous problems, Oxfam is still helping 500,000 people affected by the crisis, and we remain fully committed to assisting the people of Darfur.
Oxfam has been working in Darfur for more than 20 years. We first responded to a drought in 1985 and remained to assist local communities with livelihood and health projects. This knowledge of the region helped our understanding and response to the current crisis.
Our activities are designed not only to keep people healthy and reduce disease, but also to help them maintain their basic human dignity. This includes:
Providing clean, safe water.
Improving sanitation by building latrines and washing facilities, and distributing hygiene equipment
Distributing shelter material such as plastic sheeting, and blankets
Working in close coordination with local people, especially women and other marginalized groups, to ensure we are meeting their real needs and involving communities in the decision-making process.
Training hundreds of volunteers to educate others about sanitation and personal hygiene and to maintain and protect water and sanitation facilities
Working with children to pass on important hygiene education messages.
The massive displacement of civilians, coupled with decreasing rainfall, has seen a massive rise in demand for natural resources, especially water.
In all our work, Oxfam promotes effective management of Darfur’s increasingly scarce natural resources, for example monitoring the level of the water table and encouraging water recycling.
Restoring livelihoods
Traditional livelihoods such as agriculture and trade have largely been destroyed by the conflict and people who venture outside the camps are at risk of attack. We have been seeking to give people new skills to improve their income and reduce their reliance on external assistance.
For example, we have trained camp residents to be plumbers, welders, vets and carpenters. We have also distributed seeds, tools and ploughs in areas where they can be used, as well as livestock.
Advocating for peace
As well as its work on the ground, Oxfam continues to advocate for an end to the violence and protection for civilians. We are urging the international community to do more to achieve a cessation of hostilities, to deploy a strong protection force and to put pressure on the various actors to conclude an inclusive peace agreement.
