Sudan

Darfur: 13 Years Of War

Darfur? There was not time war? Yes, and he is still not over. Flee again, tens of thousands fled the Fighting in their homeland in the West of Sudan. Not all can the UN help.

When you zoom into the
UN map of Darfur in the Western Sudan, then one quickly the many small blue triangles. In addition to towns, to rivers, into the mountains, the desert – everywhere blue triangles. All “IDP camps”, explains the legend, so the refugee camp. Almost 1.5 million people live as refugees in 60 Camps in Darfur, a Region as big as Spain, since 2003, of violence, war, and famine, is characterized.

Of these 1.5 million Displaced persons are now tens of thousands of new refugees have been added. They had their home in Jebel Marra, a high plateau around a more than 3000 Meter high volcano in the centre of Darfur, to leave. In mid-January broke out in the Region, the various rebel groups as a retreat used, new fights.

No help on the high plateau

“The people are in all sorts of directions fled,” said Samantha Newport of the UN coordination office for humanitarian Affairs in Khartoum. “Accurate knowledge we have just over 38,000 refugees in North Darfur are stranded. For you, we have started providing relief.” Many of the North Darfur Escaped in the vicinity of a camp of soldiers of the UN peacekeeping mission UNAMID in Sortoni sought protection.

In the protection of UNAMID – a lot of refugees hitting their camp by soldiers of the UN Mission on

“They came almost all at once,” said Newport. About 90 percent of the refugees are women and children. “These are people who are to live your life running. You come with empty hands, because they all had to leave their homes, their Land, their cattle, their donkeys, everything.” 24 UN trucks are still supposed to be on Wednesday in Sortoni arrive so Newport. On Board: Blankets, tents, cookware and food, vitamins and medicines. This is to the Survival of the partially malnourished refugees to be backed up.

The people in Zentraldarfur can the UN does not currently help. One could not even estimate how the situation there is, says Newport. “This is very opaque. We have information get with Flüchtlingszahlen between 500 and 50,000 refugees. We actually had a Team out there to send in to assess the situation and a reaction to initiate.” However, let the authorities not currently.

Violence without end

The new expulsions come as no surprise to Marina Peter, Chairman of the Association “Sudan Forum”. You followed the conflict since 2003, he is broken. “For a long time are the fights and expulsions decreased. Shortly before the peace negotiations, there were always more fights. If not talking was a little less.” But have stopped the violence never.

The editorial recommends

Sudan wants the UN to get rid of

Water and Gold are the problems of the troubled region of Darfur. The government in Khartoum is now on the national dialogue. (06.04.2015)

Tens of thousands of people in Darfur on the run

For three weeks romp in the westsudanesischen crisis-hit again fierce battles. Women and children suffer the most. UN staff speak of the highest number of IDPs since a decade. (08.02.2016)

Studies on the Darfur conflict put on ice

The international criminal court stops his investigation to war crimes in the Darfur conflict. The chief Prosecutor expressed disappointment and makes the UN security Council for the surrender responsible. (13.12.2014)

2010 signed between the government and the rebels in Doha even a cease-fire agreement, the way to peace should pave. “But there were just exactly the main groups of the rebels are not involved,” says Peter. “And as long as you are not involved, there is no peace.” As before, fought individual rebel groups to have more autonomy. And, as before, bombardiere, the government of Sudan also civilian targets.

Gold as a Gift

“The Causes of conflict are largely the same as at the beginning of the conflict,” said Peter. “It’s about the distribution of resources”. Added to be over the years, many disputes between ethnic groups. A main line of conflict runs between black African ethnic groups and Khartoum of supporting Arab groups. “And we have a tightening up, because in the Darfur region, meanwhile, a lot of the gold trade is operated, and illegal gold trading.”

It is missing the bare Essentials: a refugee camp in Northern Darfur

Hope for Darfur, but there was nevertheless, says Peter. For a over a so-called “National dialogue” in Khartoum, the recognition of religious and ethnic diversity of the country by the government could bring. Also considered the Western countries of Sudan, with neighbors such as Libya and the Central African Republic, as a kind of Stabilitätsinsel in the Region. “And the Sudanese government is doing just everything in order to prove that you worth it is, once again, aid to get, because they are economically strong is weakened.” That would mean that Khartoum on a new escalation in the Darfur region of no interest would.