Islamic world can play key humanitarian role in Darfur
By Jan Egeland, Al-Hayat
Oct 17, 2004 — In a world in which poverty and violence are a daily reality for millions, there are still some places where the enormity of human suffering nearly defies description. Darfur, Western Sudan, is one such place.
Women and children have died by the tens of thousands in Darfur. United Nations agencies on the ground report that scores of villages have been bombed and burned, forcing families to flee in terror without food or shelter from the militias. Rebel groups also contribute to the insecurity. Mothers, sisters and daughters have been brutally violated. Thousands of children have been orphaned. Disease and hunger stalk the more than 1.4 million Sudanese displaced from their homes as well as the 200,000 Sudanese refugees in neighboring Chad.
After two decades of warfare and more than two million Sudanese dead, Sudan should at last be poised for peace after the breakthrough in the North-South peace talks. But there also can be no lasting peace without a resolution in the conflict between Khartoum and the rebels in Darfur, and while millions of Sudanese live on the precipice of disaster.
The immense humanitarian tragedy in Darfur is the result of political failure, and therefore necessitates a political solution. Humanitarian aid is not a proxy for political action – or political indecision. Politicians on all sides of the conflict in Sudan, supported by the African Union, Arab League and the international community, must find a solution to put an end to the mass rapes, violence and killings of thousands of civilians.
The sick and the hungry in Darfur obviously cannot wait for a long-term political solution. They need help now, irrespective of what happens on the political front. Humanitarian agencies – the United Nations, Red Crescent and other NGOs – are working around the clock to provide clean water, feed the hungry, and treat the sick and wounded.
As humanitarians, we have no political, economic or ideological motives. Our sole concern is helping individual human beings, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, tribal or political affiliation. Humanitarian aid workers represent all major faiths, and hail from all nations of the world, but we act from a singular ethical imperative: to protect and save human life. Humanitarianism in the 21st century has a global face, for human suffering – and human compassion – knows no borders.
We must approach our work with a deep humility, knowing that we will be judged not by what we say but what we do to respond to human suffering wherever it occurs. The people of Darfur do not need our fine words. They need to see human compassion in action. For months, we were blocked by Khartoum from reaching those most in need. Now we seem to fail in mobilizing sufficient international resources and employ them in a timely manner. As members of the United Nations, we can and must do better.
Humanitarian needs in Darfur are critical. Only half of the displaced population has access to clean water. Food and medical care are in dire shortage. Lethal outbreaks of hepatitis E, malaria and other diseases threaten. Too many children suffer from acute malnutrition, and food stocks across Darfur are dangerously depleted.
As serious as these needs are, aid alone is insufficient to help the people of Darfur. Aid must go hand in hand with protection. To that end, we strongly support the African Union and its expanded presence in Darfur. We also urge the Government of Sudan to protect its own people. Thousands of traumatized, homeless families need physical protection from the militias that kill at will, set fire to villages, violate women, destroy water sources and leave a path of death, dishonor and destruction in their wake.
It is time – past time – to act decisively to staunch the hemorrhage of human suffering in Darfur. Tens of thousands more people will die unless we harness the financial resources needed to feed, shelter and provide health care for the 1.4 million displaced Sudanese struggling to survive in a harsh, unforgiving environment.
The UN has called for $535 million for emergency food, medicine, clean water, sanitation and shelter to help displaced civilians and their host communities in Darfur and Chad. Thus far, only a little more than half of this urgent financial appeal has been met by international donors, nearly all of that from a few countries in Europe and North America.
The consequences of inaction could not be more stark: the UN estimates that more than two million individuals will be in dire need by year’s end. If funding is not immediately forthcoming, children will go hungry, the sick and weakened will perish; all with our full knowledge.
Governments in the region, including Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have contributed to the relief effort, but much more money is needed to meet the overwhelming humanitarian needs in Darfur. Islamic nations have a critical role to play in humanitarian efforts. They can and should do more to demonstrate their leadership.
Islamic donors can make a life-saving difference in Darfur by contributing to the UN or Red Crescent’s humanitarian efforts. Why give to the UN and its humanitarian partners? First and most importantly, the UN is uniquely positioned to effectively reach the maximum number of people with assistance. As a neutral and impartial actor, the UN is trusted by all sides in Sudan to provide humanitarian assistance based on need alone. Over the last few months, we have worked diligently to open up humanitarian access to all civilians in need. Second, UN agencies have the logistical capacity, expertise and manpower needed to respond to the huge scale of needs in Darfur. Third, the UN is required to be transparent in its dealings, and is held accountable by all member states for its financial operations.
Let it not be said that Islamic nations, as a powerful force in the world community, allowed the cries of the suffering in Darfur go unheeded. The ethical precepts that make Islam one of the world’s great religions affirm the need for us to act together, united in resolve, to assist those who so desperately need our help.
We have no excuses, no shields of ignorance behind which to hide. We know the facts: 1.4 million civilians displaced; thousands already dead; and resources dwindling. What more do we need to know? What are we waiting for?
– Mr. Egeland is United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.