REFUGEES

THE CRISIS IN DARFUR

The location of Darfur

DARFUR

• home to black Africans

The rest of SUDAN

•most people are Arabs

The GOVERNMENT

Arab dominated

• people live in villages and farm the land •these are

nomadic people

What is happening there?

The Janjaweed: ‘wild men on horses’

What’s happening there?

over 80% of villages burnt

people killed – genocide

males targetted

women raped

household size from 12 to 6

Other causes of the crisis?

• cultural, religious, racial differences

• overpopulation and competition for resources eg water supply, farm land

Where do the people go?

• approx 2 million have fled their homes and villages to camps within the country (displaced person)

• over 200,000 have gone to the neighbouring countries of Chad and Central African Republic

• they live in camps along the border

• UNHCR runs 10 camps in Chad

Gerieda - population 137,000, the largest camp in Darfur

This is Kalma Camp - population 90,000.

Effects of the crisis

• 2.5 million displaced from their homes

• The UN estimates up to 450,000 dead from violence and disease

• Camps are not safe places, they too are attacked eg reported incidents of rape at Kalma Camp are 10 per day.

HOUSING people live in flimsy shelters provided by aid agencies

no protection from cold, heat, rains

overcrowded, no privacy, disease

The search for firewood

•Deforestation around an average camp is 10 miles, meaning a woman must go 20 miles for firewood. •On these excursions, she risks being raped, mutilated, or murdered. If the men go for firewood, they will surely be slaughtered.

The search for water

water is scare and usually contaminated

people rely on aid supplies

as a result- disease, dehydration, diarrhoea

Getting food

people in the camps depend on food aid

eg from the UN, World Food Programme and other agencies

Healthdisease spreads rapidly:

• high temperatures

•overcrowding

•dirty water and poor sanitation

there is widespread malnutrition and starvation

diseases rife eg malaria, diarrhoea, cholera

infant mortality can be as high as 75% in a refugee camp

Mortality rates are high

People are dependent on foreign aid as the Sudanese government does not help

However, in the last few months, 71 aid workers were evacuated from Gerieda because of attacks and rape.

Only 10 aid workers remain to assist the 137,000

The future?

The UN peace keeping force by early 2008 and be better equipped and with a stronger mandate to protect civilians and aid workers. But…

are 26000 enough to patrol such a huge area

is this a long term solution?

Aid: a solution?