Norwegian Church Aid convoys raided again in Darfur
Norwegian Church Aid
A Norwegian Church Aid relief convoy has been raided at gunpoint by bandits in Darfur for the second time in a short period. The security situation in Darfur is deteriorating once more. Yet if peace is to be achieved in Darfur, security must be restored and developed.
The Darfur peace process is again underway in Abuja, and every time the negotiators have so far come to the table, the has been a marked increase in violence on the ground in Darfur. This round seems to be no exception. Breaches of the ceasefire have been reported, although Norwegian Church Aid has not been able to confirm these reports. A growing problem is also that aid convoys are now being ambushed with increasing regularity by bandits on horses and camels. Norwegian Church Aid vehicles have been raided at gunpoint twice in a matter of weeks.
“We are extremely thankful to know that our colleagues are safe and well. But the growing trend of ambush, both of clearly marked aid vehicles and hired trucks, is frightening. Hundreds of thousands of people rely entirely on the life-saving services we provide in Darfur. We provide these people with services that they actually have a right to receive – but we need relatively secure conditions to be able to deliver,” says Bjørg Mide, Director of the NCA/ACT/Caritas relief programme that operates in 35 different locations across Sudan’s western province.
The field teams who travel most often through the western and southern parts of Darfur regularly encounter en route, and are often chased by, heavily armed men riding on horses and camels. Since the aid operation began just over a year ago, security has presented a great challenge for the agencies. Yet whereas assault, exchanges of fire and attacks on villages were previously politically motivated, much of the violence seems now to be criminal in nature.
“It is hard to know the real motivation behind these raids, but we are certain that the two attacks to which we have been subjected over the last few weeks were nothing more than pure banditry. A very large number of small arms are in circulation in Darfur, that is the legacy of the conflict here, and they are now in the hands of many different groups. If peace is to be given a real chance here, these groups must be disarmed,” says Mide.
Scared to return home
The UN estimates that around 180,000 people have been killed since 2003, and more than two million people have been forced to flee their homes. Additionally, around 200,000 people from Darfur have crossed the border to Chad where they are currently living in refugee camps. Norwegian Church Aid and other international aid organisations are preparing themselves the time when the people living in camps will be able to return home – but at the moment it seems as if this will take quite some time.
”The people I have spoken to repeat one point over and over again: security – they need security before they can go home! Darfur is simply not safe enough for them to do this as the situation stands. Now they have missed yet another harvest, and this means that they will be dependent upon our assistance for at least one more full year. We hope that the peace process in Abuja will result in an agreement – but even if this happens, there is no guarantee that the people will return home in large quantities as a result,” says Mide.
The rainy season is coming to a close in Darfur. This means it will soon be easier to get around – for both aid workers and bandits. Mide believes that the security situation will deteriorate over the coming weeks and months. For many, owning a pistol, Kalashnikov or an AG-3 machine gun is not only a guarantee of personal security; it also allows the user to carry out effective robberies and enjoy the benefits.
Extended mandates
The situation is more stable in areas where soldiers from the African Union (AU) have been stationed. AU soldiers have been stationed as observers in Labado, a town located 70 km from Nyala, the capital of southern Darfur. They patrol the town and accompany women into the fields to tend their crops and fetch firewood in safety. 20,000 people have returned to Labado. Yet just outside the town limits lies one of the most dangerous areas of Darfur.
”Norwegian Church Aid is in active dialogue with the AU and with UN organisations in relevant areas on the subject of protection for the internally displaced persons. We can see that the presence of the AU in Labado has had a positive effect on what was initially an extremely tense security situation. But there are still too few AU soldiers stationed, the logistics are poor, there are too few resources available. Darfur is a region the size of France, and more observers and soldiers – with extended mandates – are absolutely crucial,” Bjørg Mide underlines.
When the alarm bells began to ring in Darfur in 2004, Norwegian Church Aid chose to work in partnership with an ecumenical network from around the world in order best to meet the needs of the local population. This is the first time ever that such broad cooperation has taken place between church-based organisations. Today, Norwegian Church Aid, ACT/Caritas deliver relief and assistance in 35 locations across Darfur. Across the border in Chad, Norwegian Church Aid operates 3 different refugee camps.
– For more information on the relief effort in process covering the fields of water, sanitation, health, nutrition, protection of internally displaced persons, education, agriculture and psychosocial assistance, please visit: