Sudan crisis, situation update, July 2007

Darfur is the world's largest international humanitarian response. Yet aid agencies' vital work is being severely threatened by the ongoing violence against civilians and increasingly violent, targeted attacks on humanitarian workers. Despite the daily dangers, Oxfam staff are currently providing vital assistance to around 500,000 people affected by the crisis, both in Darfur and eastern Chad.

Oxfam recently warned that the entire response ”“ upon which over 4 million Darfurians depend ”“ is at risk of collapsing unless these attacks stop.

Incidents against aid workers and operations are now occurring on a daily basis. Humanitarian vehicles are regularly hijacked and stolen; staff are frequently assaulted, intimidated, abducted, robbed and shot at; and humanitarian compounds and offices are broken into by armed robbers. 13 aid workers, including an Oxfam staff member, have been killed in the last 12 months ”“ more than in the rest of the conflict combined.

As a result, since the start of 2007 aid agencies' ability to reach the people in need has hit its lowest point for three years. Attacks on humanitarians have never been higher or more violent than over the last few months.

The numbers are staggering
It is more than four years since the start of the Darfur crisis. Today the situation is as desperate as ever. The sheer scale of suffering is incredible, and the numbers of people affected are higher than ever before:

• Over 4.5 million people in Darfur and eastern Chad now rely on humanitarian aid
• 2.5 million people  - more than one in three Darfurians ”“ have been forced from their homes by the violence
• Over 2 million of them are now sheltering in camps for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) inside Darfur
• A further quarter of a million refugees from Darfur are in camps over the border in neighbouring Chad
• So far in 2007 alone, a further 140,000 people have fled their homes across Darfur
• Another 170,000 Chadian people have fled their homes as the conflict increasingly spills over into Chad. The number of Chadians displaced by violence has quadrupled in the past year.

Massive disruption
The violence has seriously disrupted Oxfam's programs. In April, we suspended work temporarily for two weeks in the town of Um Dukhun in West Darfur after an Oxfam vehicle was hijacked in broad daylight in one of the camps. The driver was injured in the incident and the car remains unaccounted for.

In June we announced the permanent withdrawal of programs in Gereida ”“ Darfur's largest camp where 130,000 people have taken refuge. Many activities in the town had been suspended for the previous six months since a particularly violent attack on the compounds of aid organizations including Oxfam. The local authorities' failure to do anything to improve the safety of our staff left us with no option but to withdraw.

Despite the deterioration in security, Oxfam is still helping around 500,000 people affected by the crisis, and our staff remain fully committed to assisting the people of Darfur. But unless these attacks on humanitarians stop we cannot guarantee we can keep working there indefinitely.

Rising humanitarian need
While aid workers are being attacked, the people suffering most of all are the civilians of Darfur, who live in fear as the violence continues all around them. People are still fleeing their homes. Since the start of 2007 at least 140,000 more people have fled ”“ some of them for the second or third time as the violence has followed them.

Many camps ”“ particularly those near the major towns ”“ are now at capacity and overstretched, yet people continue to arrive in search of help. The camps are also becoming more insecure. Armed men frequently enter camps to harass and attack civilians and aid workers.

The violence against humanitarians means that more than half a million people are currently going without the assistance they need ”“ because aid agencies cannot access them. Large parts of rural Darfur are now completely inaccessible. With many roads unsafe to use due to the risk of hijacking, the majority of programs are now accessed by helicopter. However, helicopter services only go to the larger towns and camps ”“ in villages and rural areas we are often simply unable to get there.

The massive humanitarian response has had considerable success in managing to stabilize living conditions in the camps, cutting rates of mortality and malnutrition. But as humanitarian access rapidly decreases there is a danger this could be reversed. There are increasing fears that we could see a return to the devastating levels of malnutrition and disease that were seen at the start of the crisis.  

A ceasefire needed now
With ongoing attacks on civilians, increased targeting of aid workers, and decreasing humanitarian access, the people of Darfur do not have time to wait for change. Oxfam is calling on all the many parties to the conflict to agree, and adhere to, an immediate ceasefire. The international community should pressure the parties to respect international humanitarian law, stop targeting civilians and humanitarians, and create a safe environment for aid operations. 

Ultimately the political process is the only long term, sustainable solution to the conflict. Greater effort must be made to invigorate fully inclusive political discussions and the international community must provide coordinated and sustained leadership. But a successful peace process takes time ”“ in the meantime the people of Darfur need a ceasefire and greater immediate protection.

International discussion on Darfur is currently dominated by the proposed United Nations and African Union “hybrid” peacekeeping force.

But focus on this force risks deflecting from the most urgent need ”“ a ceasefire. Even the most optimistic estimates say it will be at least early 2008 by the time the hybrid force is on the ground, and in reality it may be a lot longer. The people of Darfur should not have to wait that long.

In the meantime, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has troops on the ground right now. But they lack funds, assistance and support from the rest of the world. Although supposedly in place to protect civilians, AMIS itself is increasingly under attack. 10 African peacekeepers have been shot dead since February, and others robbed, intimidated and abducted. The international community must do more to strengthen AMIS and give it the support it needs to succeed.

An increasingly complex and regional crisis
While the Darfur conflict has never been as straight forward as has often been portrayed, the situation has become increasingly complex over the last 12 months. Since the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006, the security situation has deteriorated significantly and the rebel movements have splintered into countless factions. Allegiances and areas of control shift frequently. The region has become increasingly lawless, with perpetrators of violence rarely held to account.

All of the many parties to the conflict currently bear responsibility for the ongoing crisis.

The suffering has increasingly spread throughout the vast region. Few areas of Darfur now are untouched by violence, and the crisis has crossed over the borders of Sudan and exacerbated tensions and conflicts in Chad and Central African Republic. Rebel groups, militias and bandits regularly cross the borders at will. Attacks on villages in Chad ”“ similar to those in Darfur ”“ have killed civilians and forced many to flee their homes. The number of displaced Chadians has quadrupled in the last year to 170,000 ”“ in addition to the nearly quarter of a million Sudanese refugees sheltering inside Chad.  

Life in the camps
Most people arrive in the camps with virtually nothing. Some were able to bring animals and a few pots or  blankets (if they were not killed or stolen in attacks), but many came with just the clothes they were wearing. Even for those lucky enough to bring animals such as donkeys and cows it is difficult to find food with which to feed them, and taking them out to graze puts the owners at serious risk of attack.

In many camps, the makeshift huts in which many of the families shelter are made of little more than sticks and plastic sheeting.

However, some camps, such as Abu Shouk on the outskirts of El Fasher, have taken on an air of permanence, with stone buildings replacing the tents. With the conflict showing no sign of ending, many people expect to be stuck in the camps for a long time to come.

The main feeling in many of the camps is one of helplessness and frustration ”“ people are trapped here, unable to return home, with limited access to education or economic opportunities. Leaving the camp immediately exposes them to the risk of violence ”“ even venturing out to collect essential firewood can risk harassment, sexual assault or death.

The majority of people in the camps are women and children, and many of the young children have now spent a large part of their lives living there. The impact of the crisis on a whole generation is likely to have enormous consequences for Darfur's future.

What is Oxfam doing?

Despite the daily dangers and the sheer scale of the crisis, Oxfam is helping around 500,000 people in Darfur and Chad, working with communities to save lives. Our programs are designed not only to keep people healthy and reduce disease, but also to help people maintain their basic human dignity. We:

• Provide vital clean, safe water pumped from natural sources
• Improve sanitation to help fight the spread of disease ”“ by building latrines and washing facilities, and distributing essential items such as soap, and buckets and jerry cans for carrying water.
• Distribute essential items such as plastic sheeting, materials for shelters, and blankets for the cold nights.
• Work in close coordination with local people to ensure that our work meets the real needs and priorities of Darfur, involving communities at every step of the decision-making process. In particular, we work with women's groups and other marginalized sectors of society to ensure that everyone benefits from our programs.
• Train hundreds of community volunteers to educate others about sanitation and personal hygiene, and recruit attendants from within the camp's communities to keep toilets and washing facilities clean, and to make sure water sources are protected.
• Work with children ”“ using entertaining plays, music and school activities to pass on hygiene education messages and influence behavior at a vital early age.
• Provide training and expertise to improve livelihoods opportunities and reduce people's dependency on aid.
  

Responding to growing environmental concerns
The already vast camps cannot cope with more large arrivals ”“ many are already full to capacity, particularly those around the main towns. Yet people continue to arrive. The massive displacement ”“ with tens of thousands of people living together in a single area ”“ has put increasing strain on already scarce natural resources ”“ especially water. Decreasing rainfall, increasing population and growing desertification have all contributed to exacerbating the problems in Darfur.

As the conflict drags on, these problems are becoming intensified. As the camps become more permanent, people are looking to improve their makeshift shelters. Brick-makers have set up work in most camps, providing materials for residents to improve their homes and creating welcome economic opportunities in the camps”¦ but also using up vast supplies of precious, limited water.

Oxfam is increasingly looking at ways to promote better management of natural resources such as water ”“ both in our own work and within the wider community. 

Rebuilding livelihoods
Traditional livelihoods of agriculture and trade have been largely destroyed by the current conflict. Effectively trapped in camps, people cannot access their fields and markets without risk of being attacked. Women going out to collect firewood are frequently harassed, assaulted and abducted.

Oxfam is working to provide people with skills and opportunities to gain an income and reduce the dependency on external aid. For example, by training plumbers, welders, vets and carpenters; and by distributing seeds, tools and ploughs in areas where they can be used. We have also distributed donkeys and animals.

Oxfam in Darfur
Oxfam has been working in Darfur for more than twenty years. We first responded to the 1985 drought in the region and have remained ever since, working to assist local communities with livelihood and health projects. The extensive local knowledge, and the strong relationships with local communities and organizations, that we have built up over the last two decades have greatly helped our understanding and response to the current crisis.

Latest facts and figures

How many are we helping?
Around 500,000 people are currently benefiting directly from Oxfam's response to the Darfur humanitarian crisis ”“ nearly 400,000 people in Darfur and 95,000 people in Chad.

How many staff do we have?
To run programs assisting so many people requires a large team. Oxfam currently has around 250 Sudanese staff and 25 expatriate staff working in Darfur, plus many more volunteers from within the IDP camps themselves and half a dozen expatriate support staff based in Khartoum. In Chad we have another 22 expatriate staff and nearly 90 local Chadian employees. Many of our staff have worked for Oxfam or other humanitarian agencies for many years, and we are represented by nationalities from all over the world, including from: Australia, India, Iraq, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan (quite a few from Pakistan!), Philippines, Uganda, the United Kingdom (quite a few of those as well!), the United States, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

And what do they do?
They include engineers, public health promoters, accountants, logisticians, project managers, protection advisers, well drillers, HR advisers, food security analysts, livelihoods experts, administrators, and the support staff needed to keep a program of this size running.

Where are we working?
Oxfam is one of the few aid agencies currently working in all three Darfur states and Chad. In Darfur we currently work in the following camps and towns: Abu Shouk camp, Al Salaam camp, Kebkabiya town and the surrounding villages, and Shangil Tobai camp in North Darfur; Kalma camp in South Darfur; and in and around Um Dukhun town in West Darfur. Since we withdrew from Gereida camp in South Darfur in June we are looking at new program areas in which to expand. The need is greater than ever and there are many more people who need our assistance, with your support.

In Chad, Oxfam Intermon currently works in Djabal and Goz Amer camps for refugees from Darfur; and Oxfam GB works in camps for the growing number of Chadian displaced people around Goz Beida: Gouroukoun, Gassire, Koloma, Koubigou and Kerfi.

Oxfam also continues to work elsewhere in Sudan ”“ in the capital, Khartoum, Red Sea State, and in various locations in Southern Sudan.

Financial

Who are our donors?
In addition to the funds raised by our supporters and the general public, Oxfam's humanitarian response in Darfur is also being supported by several institutional donors.

Oxfam International affiliates have been highly active in raising funds, with Oxfams in Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands (Oxfam Novib) and Quebec securing contracts from Irish Aid, AusAID, the Dutch government and CIDA respectively. In the UK, significant institutional support has come from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (Dfid), the European Commission's Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) and the Common Humanitarian Fund for Sudan.

The Oxfams in America, Australia, Ireland, and Hong Kong have also given from their own funds. In addition, trusts such as BandAid are supporting the Oxfam program in Darfur.

Oxfam's programs in Darfur for the coming year ”“ reaching over half a million people ”“ have a budget of US$12 million (GBP £6 million).