Letter from the Field - 21 Feb 2007 - Aweil, Sudan

Letter from the Field - 21 February 2007. Aweil, Sudan

Friends –

    I have been meaning to write for some time but something always comes up to divert my attention.

    I actually started a letter from a rather sleepy town called – Aweil – the capital of the state of Northern Bhar el-Ghazal (NBeG). I spent a week there earlier in the month. More specifically, I first flew from Juba to Wau (an hour away), which is a  considerably bigger town, the capital of Western Bahr el-Ghazal. They have quite a handsome Catholic “cathedral” there, though I have never been inside. I over-nighted in Wau and had a good grilled chicken dinner in a “garden restaurant” with a colleague who heads up our Child Protection Unit, though the generator failed and we ate in the dark. Then we had a drink at “the Greek club” (a few outdoor tables in a very dusty compound) -- a Pepsi for me as I don’t drink beer and you can’t find wine outside of Juba. As I was able to get an air conditioned container for the night, I slept well and drove myself in the standard 4x4 white jeep that is the a hallmark of the UN to the airfield, only a few minutes away. I parked the jeep there, left the keys, and caught a helicopter for short hop (an hour) to Aweil.

     The town is flat and dusty now – though it floods in the rainy season – and is characterized by large groves of very old mango trees. At present, the trees are just in flower, and you can see the sprouting of the mangos – but it will be some months before the fruit is mature and ripe. (The season is much more advanced in Juba, where the mangoes should be ready to pick in about 4-6 weeks.) Many things – from meetings, to dining to conducting school sessions – are conducted under the mango trees which provide very nice shade. Unfortunately, they also attract mosquitoes, so the bats that flutter in their branches at dusk are much appreciated by me as they devour these pesky little malaria carriers. I have been trying my utmost, with the aid of Meflaquin (which I have no problem with), mosquito repellent, and zipping my tent up tight when I sleep) to avoid getting malaria. Miraculously, given all the travelling I have done in the tropics, I have thus far avoided the fever.

    Here, in Aweil, in the UN compound where I stayed the accommodation is primarily tents. However, as I was informed before I came that the camp was full at this time, I had to buy a pup tent in the Konya Konya market in Juba (for the outrageous price of almost $200) and bring it with me. The investment has was, however, worth it as, with a mattress someone found for me, I was quite comfortable for the week I was there. I must admit, however, that if I was staying in Aweil long term, I would find it a bit trying. The toilets are pit latrines, with an overpowering smell of ammonia -- and the three shower stalls (we did get hot water when the generator kicked in – from 7.30-9.00 a.m. and from 7.00-9.00 p.m.) are used by both men and women with very little privacy. The food – while quite good, was the same for lunch and dinner, day after day after day – rice, ugali (the Kenyan staple), meat or chicken stew (sometimes with pumpkin), a cooked green spinach type vegetable, lentils and bread. Sometimes, there is also a tomato and onion salad. Not a diet calculated to keep your weight down, particularly as you do very little walking or exercise. And there really isn’t much you can buy in the market to supplement the food – some oranges, an apple if you are lucky.  While it is too hot and dusty during the days, at night, it is cold enough to need a warm blanket.   

     We (UNMIS Protection) have one staff person stationed here – a very capable UN Volunteer from Sierra Leone – and I came out for the week to help him finalize his Work Plan for 2007 and the Action Plan for Protection in the Returns Process – which is shortly to be in full swing.

      In NBeG – one of the 10 states of South Sudan, the population is 95% Dinka – and in this returns season (i.e., the dry season), we are expecting perhaps 85,000 people to return, either from Southern Darfur, Khartoum or other states in the north. There may also be some refugees returning from camps in Kenya, Central African Republic or Uganda. Some of these returns are organized – this year, a joint operation of the United Nations, the Government of National Unity in Khartoum, and the Govt of South Sudan in Juba – which means that people are registered and medically screened before departure, provided with certain food and non-food items (plastic sheeting, jerry cans for water), and assisted with transportation (this could be trucks, or a river barge). It also means that way stations are established on the returns route where travellers can overnight as they journey back to their villages of origin – with appropriate water points and latrines, as well as shelter. Since the returns process should occur in security and with dignity, UNMIS Protection, together with UNMIS Returns, oversee the operation to see that people are informed about conditions in their villages of origin as well as, on route, and to intervene if problems emerge (e.g., if people are harassed by soldiers, come into conflict with other tribes, if there are children separated from parents, if women are sexually-abused, and if there are no services in the villages to which they return).

       I had also hoped on this visit to travel to Malualkon (the seat of the neighbouring country), about 2 hours way, and to Majok Yienthiou – 20 kilometers further up the road – where there are perhaps as many as 20,000 people who have gathered there since November, having fled from fighting between two factions of a militia group which split: one supporting the SPLA (the southern army) and the other SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces, i.e., northerners). Unfortunately, we did not get security clearance to go as UN Security says they have no confirmation that the road is mine free, even though locals, NGOs and many other UN agencies have been travelling on it for weeks. Such are the irrationalities and frustrations of the UN system.

    So – having been foiled in that effort, and with time on my hands, I took my shiny new camera – a Nikon SLR that I bought when I was home for the holidays – and went into the village to take some pictures. As usual, I got lots of shots of children, some women – dignified in the extremely hard labour they perform – the tukels (the rounded mud huts covered with thatch) – and the ubiquitous goats. But I am still learning how to use the camera, so my results have been modest.

            On my way back to Juba, I stopped again in Wau and overnighted in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes States, where I had some useful conversations about protection issues there. Then, after returning “home,” I took a “Week-end” – actually, Thursday to Saturday, and flew on the UN flight to Entebbe, indulging by spending one night at the luxurious Emin Pasha Hotel in Kampala (a lovely villa with 20 rooms set in luxurious garden grounds) – and the second night in the 5 star Serena Hotel, where I had a manicure, a pedicure, and a chance to sun bath and swim in the Olympic size pool. I went with friends and we dined well, shopped a bit, and even did a touristy bit, visiting the tombs of the former kings of the Buganda.

          Now I am back in Juba – and before ending my assignment here in Southern Sudan, I will hopefully be visiting Yambio (in Western Equatoria), Malakal (again, in Upper Nile), and possibly Yei in Eastern Equatoria, to work with our teams in various field offices – i.e., the “deeper” field than Juba or Khartoum. Meanwhile, I am taking the first week of March  (my R&R – rest and recreation) in Sana’a – the capital of Yemen, which I am told it is a fascinating city, and it is not too expensive to fly there from Khartoum. When I finish my assignment in Sudan, in the second week of April, I am planning a safari in Tanzania, to visit Serengeti, the Ngoro Ngoro Crater (the game drive), and Lakes Manyara and Eyasi (with their million flamingoes)           .

       By that time, I should be ready for my next assignment – whatever that may be. I have signed on for another year. It imagine that it will be late April before I know for sure where I will be heading to next.    Meanwhile, I am well and thoroughly enjoying the challenge. I will be in Geneva for one week in late March, where the 8 or 9 of us in the ProCap program are coming together to exchange experiences. I am looking forward to that as well.

       If you have time, write me and let me know what you are up to. In the field, its great hearing from friends.

       Warmest regards

Letters from the Field - Evacuation from Malakal, Sudan - 8 Feb 2007

Note for the File:  Evacuation from Malakal and other adventures - 8 Feb 2007

On Monday, 27 November 2006, I flew with a small group to Malakal – the capital of the state of Upper Nile – and from there on to a town called Longochok, in the east near the wetlands towards the Ethiopian border. Petrodar, the Chinese consortium, has found oil in Longocok and we went  -- accompanied by a bright and dynamic female MP -- to investigate the impact this oil “development” was having on the indigenous people in the area. The company had drilled and capped 4 oil wells, which have not yet gone into production, but one pond of waste has reportedly been responsible for the death of about 100 cows which drank from the waste water.  According to the wealth sharing section of the CPA – the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of Sudan – developers are supposed to consult the local communities in the areas where they work and to come to agreement with them on compensation, should the people be displaced from their land or otherwise be affected. And, benefits of the oil “developments” – in the form of schools, clinics, jobs – are supposed to accrue to the community. Of course, no such consultation occurred. The Company just came in with its own security forces, went where they wanted, drilled where there wanted. None of the community have been employed as Petrodar brought in its own workers from the North. The next day, on Tuesday, we were to visit another community in Upper Nile – in Melut – where oil production has started. But, meanwhile, we flew back to Malakal and were hanging out in the UNMIS compound – in the container shared by UNMIS Protection and UNMIS Human Rights --  waiting to see where there was space for us to be accommodated that night. I tried to check my email, but the network was down, a common phenomenon.

At around 17.00, we were informed that we couldn’t move out of HQ for the present because an SPLA soldier had been shot by someone from one of the armed militias that were still operating in Malakal.  According to the CPA, these militias – known as OAGs (Other Armed Groups), were supposed to have made a choice of aligning themselves either to the SPLA (the forces of South Sudan) or to SAF (Sudan Armed Forces) and to have been integrated into one or the other armies. That has still not happened in many places including in Malakal, where at least two strong militias were operating as autonomous units, albeit with support from SAF and Khartoum: one under a charismatic leader, Gabriel Tang, who also had aspirations to become Commissioner of Fangak County (in the neighbouring state of Jonglei) which put him into conflict with local politicos, and one under a commander, Thomas Mabor, who a former US marine reportedly described as “one of the scariest men he had ever met”. But I was largely unaware of all of this as I sat chatting to a colleague.

Around 18.15, we heard a rat-a-tat-tat, very much like fire-crackers or radio static, and then a few loud thunderclaps. The static was machine guns – the booms either mortars or RPG (rocket-propelled grenades), and the rumbles were either tanks moving or APC (armoured personnel carriers) – you see you need to learn a whole new vocabulary to understand an unfolding armed conflict. The containers that house the offices of UNMIS are – like all containers – just thin sheets of metal. So we all dived under the desks and waited. The shooting, however, got worse and louder – and after about an hour, a colleague ran into the container and told us to grab our stuff and follow him – I picked up by backpack and ran, stooped – to the main building which was hard-walled. There we milled around trying to find out what was happening.

Noone had particularly good information – but bits and pieces came in. We had heard that one of  the UN drivers had been wounded by flying shrapnel and had been taken to hospital. That SPLA had opened up with force on the militias, who were being supported by SAF. That about 150 civilians were seeking refuge at one of our camps. That the level 2 hospital reported 21 injured patients and two DOAs.

While the escalation between parties had been reported for over a month – and so there should have been some advanced planning for the eventuality of open conflict, apparently there was no office security/evacuation plan in place. Thus, a security plan was drawn up on the spot at an emergency meeting that Monday evening. The plan included evacuating staff to Juba, Rumbek or El Obeid the next day, if the security situation permitted that. Meanwhile, a decision was taken that all of us at UNMIS should go in a conveoy with APC's to Amzar Camp, fairly close to the airport, where we would spend the night. People in other endgangered locations would also go to Amzar camp.

The rationale for this was that this was the only place which had food, water and beds. However, it made little sense to most of us as Amzar is a tented camp, with no solid structures except for a small kitchen and the block of toilets and showers. Nor does it have a barbed wire perimeter – indeed any perimeter except for a flimsy fence marking the boundaries – and not everywhere. More importantly, the camp is located next to Gabriel Tang's and SAF barracks -- a key military target. But that is where we were taken. We arrived around 21.00 and were given a cot with a blanket in a five-bed tent. We were given a bottle of drinking water but told there was no food. And, as the fighting simply intensified – with some heavy shells falling in the vicinity of the Governor’s office and the UNMIS compounds, we were told it best to lie on the floor next to, or under the bed rather than in bed. Although I was not aware of it at the time, we were basically caught in cross-fire with the kitchen and a number of cars receiving bullet hits.

Nonetheless, the next morning, things seemed calmer. I got up at 6 a.m. and had a hot shower. (That was a nice surprise -- that the ladies’ shower was relatively clean and the water was hot.)  On the radio, I heard that there was fighting close to the airport. Nonetheless, breakfast was served – with Amzar (a catering company) living up to its reputation for appalling food quality. We got a bread roll, a pancake with treacle syrup, and a hard-boiled egg, and tea or coffee – for 2000 dinars (or US $10.00). The accommodation was, allegedly, going to cost us US $65/night – I never paid and UNMIS and Amzar will have to sort that out, while lunch, which cost 3000 dinars ($15.00) was rice, macaroni, lasagne, pizza, potatoes and bread and some rice pudding – I kid you not!! And dinner a variation on the above. We did get one briefing after lunch -  but it was not very informative and became somewhat confrontational when an NGO raised questions about how safe we were. “If you don’t feel safe, you are welcome to leave,” was the response they got.

So the day went by. The camp is pretty bleak – there is not a tree for shade or anywhere to sit except the dining room. But, I took a chair outside and, fortunately, I had a novel with me and was able to read for a good part of the day. There wasn’t too much shooting although we would occasionally hear a burst of machine gun fire. A UNDSS (Security) flight came in to do an assessment but we had no first hand information of what was being discussed. That, in fact, was the worst of it -- that we were essentially kept in the dark about developments. Over 140 staff were relocated to Amzar but there was only one security officer with us – Josiah -- and, over the 3 days, we received only two security briefings. There was no understanding of who was in control. Information, which was received by different staff members through direct contacts with people in Malakal by private telephone, contacts with staff at UNMIS office, or on radio VHF, was passed on by word of mouth. We had little knowledge about what triggered the fighting – how many injured there were – how many killed. Apparently, there were two major fronts in the battle, one at the General SAF headquarters, in the south eastern sector of Malakal, and the other in the general direction of the airport in the northern sector (near our camp). We heard, at one point, that SAF HQ had been captured by SPLA. That SAF was now fully engaged in the fighting.

What I learned I heard on my radios – which fortunately was fully charged. It was also a source of amusement as with the message that “Khartoum was very concerned about us in Amzar and that we would be evacuated at sometime today.” It was through the radio that we found out that Gabriel Tang had been given an ultimatum by SPLA (actually, by the Government of Upper Nile State) – that he was to leave town “or else” – and that he would be flown to Khartoum by the UN.  And, he did leave, at 17.30, via Kadugli, though there were some tense moments when he arrived at the airport with a 10-man armed guard who insisted on being permitted to take their weapons onto the plane. The apparently normal compromise was reached whereby they could take their weapons, if they were separated from their ammo. There had also been expectations that Thomas Mabor (who had been included in the same expulsion decree) might also be flown out, but that did not happen.[1]

As soon as the plane with Gabriel Tang took off, instead of ending the fighting, it resumed with a fury.  So we went back to our tents to hunker down for another night after a security briefing where we were informed that the tents were safer for us than the kitchen because it was not wise for everyone to be concentrated in one location.  The generator cut off – or was cut off – at some point and that set off the smoke alarm in our tent – so it was not a comfortable second night. But then, around 22.00 – as the shelling became particularly loud – someone came round the tents and told us to all congregate in the kitchen. So we all crowded into this little room and sat on the floor, in the dark, including quite a few members of our protection team with flak jackets and blue helmets. After about half an hour, the Indian commander came in and lectured us on how we should not be using or radios or thoria phones to communicate with others outside the camp on how bad the security was inside – and that we were not being properly protected. That was just destroying morale he said and we should leave the security to those who knew how to deal with it. We were then sent back to our tents to spend the rest of the night on the floor – with firing heavy and continuing through the night. I did manage to doze in and out of sleep. One of the women sharing our tent – Julia, a Sudanese – swore that a man had come in during the night and pawed her. But that she screamed and he ran out. Maybe, maybe he just got lost in the dark. Someone in the next tent – a male tent – snored very loudly all night long, totally unaffected by the shooting. In the morning, we learned that we had been in cross-fire with the kitchen and several cars having been hit by bullets.

During the night, on the radio, we heard that there were a lot of people who had come to the gate of the TCC (Troop Contributing Countries) camp – wanting to get to the hospital there -- and the Indians were trying to prevent them from entering, afraid that the SPLA might think they were harbouring SAF. But to refuse entry to wounded  people is surely a violation of the Geneva Conventions. Later I learned there were maybe 150-200 casualties, mainly military, but some civilian – fortunately, none of our people.

The next morning, we found that Amzar staff had gone on strike – because there were no plans to evacuate them -- and there would be no breakfast – and, in any event, they claimed to have run out of food. So we pooled resources  - Diane and I both had some food we had brought with us. A mango, an avocado, (the papaya we had eaten the first night when we were still in the UNMIS HQ), some digestive biscuits, a can of tuna, some peanuts, dried apricots, some cereal bars. That became both breakfast and lunch – shared amongst whoever was around. It was kind of sad when one of the pilots put some treacle on a plate and lapped that up because he needed some nourishment. Although, at around 14.00, Amzar relented and served some rice topped with stew, which we all wolfed down, not sure when we’d get fed again. So we sat around. One of the staff had found a tiny kitten the day before, perhaps one or two days old, and Diane de Guzman spent a good hour or more trying to get the kitten to suck some milk made out of powder in the hope we might keep it alive. I rather doubt it survived, although the plan was to evacuate it to El Obeid if and when that happened. By that time, they had asked us to sign up for where we wanted to be evacuated to – Juba, El Obeid (for on to Khartoum) or Rumbeck. And, at around 15.00, they called all UN agency folk and NGOs to get ready to evacuate to the airport. UNMIS staff would go later.

So, hot and sticky and sure that nothing much would happen, I went to take another shower. And, as I was just about to shampoo my hair, there was a lot of noise and commotion around and I thought it might not be such a good idea. I got out driping wet, pulled on my clothes, and went out to see everyone running – so I did too. Back to my tent – quickly repacked my few things – and ran to jump on a truck to go to the airport in a convoy. It was clear that the road to the airport, as the airport itself, was still under the control of SAF – and safe soldiers were very evident as drove to the airport.  There, some boarded a plane for Ed Obeid. For those of us who opted for Juba, there was an Anotov cargo plane – the large Russian planes SAF uses for bombing in Darfur – and we piled into the belly of the plane. No seatbelts – no seats – on this one. We were about 120 people on board when we left. The flight lasted one hour. Someone had an asthma attack, but there were doctors on board who dealt with it. And, then – at 19.00 -- we were back in Juba. Home!!

A small UNMIS contingent remained in Malakal, along with the peacekeeping forces, the UNMOs (UN Military Observers) and the police – who were not evacuated -- where fighting continued. In the assessment of the Sector Commander, the SPLA had taken the offensive, apparently determined to take control of the town and to rid itself of the  OAG elements in Malakal, but found itself locked into direct combat with SAF, which was unexpected.

As a result of the fighting on the night of Nov 27, in which SPLA JIUs clashed with Gabriel Tang’s elements in Malakal, the sector Commander convened an emergency AJMC, to address the issue. The strong statements by the SPLA representative [see part of the Nos. 5-7 points in the AJMC minutes below] indicated a determination to by SPLA forces in Malakal to utilize their JIU command to “clean up” the town of these destabilizing elements.

Excerpts from the AJMC minutes:

5. The SPLA member brought out that nothing concrete has emerged out of the numerous attempts to arrive at a solution to the issue in the recent past. He was of the view that the presence of Maj. Gen Gabriel TANG in MALAKAL town will be a cause for insecurity. He claimed that his counterparts from SAF are also blameworthy since Maj. Gen Gabriel TANG alone cannot disturb the peace. He referred to the incident of 03 days back when 02 x SPLA soldiers and 02 x women were injured in a firing incident he alleged was carried out by troops of Maj. Gen Gabriel TANG. His men also did random shooting in the town to cover up the incident as also try to connect the issue to alleged rape. Yesterday again they sent the soldiers to attack SPLA soldiers killing 01 soldier and injuring another. All these acts of SAF are perpetrating violence in the town.

6. The member further said that even now the SAF cadres are indulging in random cases of shooting in the East of JALABA area in MALAKAL. He said that though his presence at the AJMC is indicative of the intentions for furthering the CPA but he could not comment on the future strategy the JIU. Southerners are citizens of this town and we want them to enjoy a peaceful life. The JIU decision to withdraw or remain deployed can only be taken by their Commander.

7. The SPLA member was forthright in stating that the situation will not calm down till the Maj. Gen Gabriel TANG is brought to law and his troops disbanded. He said even the JIU are not acting as a unified force. The SAF cadres of JIUs are OAGs organized for this and these are the people who are shooting on the streets. He opined that if SAF failed to view the issue from the SPLA viewpoint then situation is likely to escalate. He brought out that SPLA forces will be deployed at all strategic points in town awaiting orders from higher authorities. They will take action as per orders received. However, I shall convey the viewpoint of AJMC to the JIU Commander.

3. The JIU command in Malakal, which is currently being exercised by the SPLA, has forcefully articulated in the AJMC forum that the responsibility of securing the town fall under its mandate in accordance with the CPA.

4. The JIU command also has expressed frustrated by the apparent reluctance of SAF to incorporate its JIU forces to the already deployed SPLA JIUs in Malakal. Although SAF has already selected and deployed some troops in Malakal, these forces mostly drawn from former militia elements have up to now been scattered around Malakal, and are yet to officially join their SPLA counterparts. It is some of these elements that have been involved in recent confrontation with SPLA. A good number of these former militia are strategically based close to the airport.

5.Another major issue of contention is the apparent reluctance by SAF to hand over its military headquarters in Malakal to the JIU command as outlined in the Security Arrangements implementation modalities of the CPA.

6. The latest fighting can also be seen in the light of the recent visit to Juba by GNU president during which Paulino Matip publicly stated his intention to clear major southern towns of destabilizing OAG elements. It is widely believed in the sector that the Nov 27 retaliatory action by SPLA JIU forces against Gabriel Tang’s elements had been sanctioned by Juba.

Actions by Sector Headquarters

Following the recent escalation, the sector Headquarters has carried out the following actions:

1. The HoO presided over an emergency ASMT meeting to reach some decisions on the possible relocation of civilian staff from the town based on the prevailing security situation and in adherence to the laid down procedures. The decisions arrived at, by senior managers in the Mission (DDO in Juba and DO in Khartoum) in consultation with the ASMT both in Malakal, was to maintain the security of Malakal at Level III. This will, however, involve enhanced steps including downsizing civilian staff that comes into a not strictly essential category with a ceiling maximum of 50 civilian remaining behind. At present there are some 150 UN and NGO agency staff, International and non-Malakal national, eligible for relocation plus 103 UNMIS civilian staff in the same categories (I.e. total - 253).  These do not include TCC, UNMOs and UN Police, who are not eligible for relocation. A list of staff eligible for relocation has also been drawn and confirmed.

The decision was to be implemented as soon as the security situation, in particular the accessibility of the airport, permits. Under the present circumstances, such relocation is unlikely to be able to take place in which the airport is contested, unless a lull in the battle can be achieved to allow for this and other essential movements to take place.  

2. HoO and Sector Commander presided over the implementation of emergency steps to secure safety of Mission staff as well as carried out regular briefings of the prevailing security situation and providing regular analysis of updates of the security situation with senior UNMIS managers in Khartoum and Juba.

3. HoO and Sector Commander maintained regular contact and briefing with senior state government leadership, specifically consultation with the Upper Nile State/Jonglei Governors.

4. HoO and Sector Commander Briefed the Vice President of GOSS by telephone on the morning of Nov 29 on the prevailing situation. The Vice President wanted to know the status in Malakal and indicated he would visit Malakal at the earliest opportunity.

---

[1] The Upper Nile State Government also decreed the relocation to Bor (the Jonglei capital) of John Malwit, the Commissioner of Fangak County, whose appointment is hotly contested by Gabriel Tang. All three -- Tang, Mabor and Malwit -- were ordered to vacate the town immediately and UNMIS was requested for air transport to facilitate this directive. Thomas Mabor, reportedly came as far as the airport, declined to board the aircraft, ostensibly because UNMIS could not allow his weapons on board, despite direct interventions by the state Governor. Mabor’s SAF escorts deliberately encouraged him to stay claiming they would facilitate his transport to Khartoum the next day. Owing to logistical difficulties, the relocation of John Malwit was slotted for the morning of Nov 29, but this has been overtaken by the current events.

Letters from the Field - September 2006 - Darfur, Sudan

First Letter from Darfur, Nyala, South Darfur – 1 September 2006

I have been in Darfur now for nearly a month. I should have written sooner, but somehow the days pass quickly and it is now 1 September. Today is Friday – the weekend -- to the extent that we take weekends in the field. But I have determined to make time to write a  letter. When I send it will depend on when we have Internet access, which is intermittent here. It’s hot – in the mid 30s I’d guess – but not unbearably so, as this is the rainy season and it cools off in the evenings.  

This afternoon, if security permits, some of our Joint Assessment (JAM) people – me among them - will be going to Kalma Camp, an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp which used to be the largest in Darfur, with over 100,000 people. Now, it is the second largest, as Gereida, south of Nyala, has surpassed 120,000. I know that all of these names mean little to you – they meant nothing to me before my arrival. It is as steep learning curve.

 “If security permits” derives from the fact that the UN Security Council yesterday passed a resolution to send a peacekeeping mission (17,000 troops and 3,000 police) into Darfur, if the Sudan Government consents to their deployment. Thus far, the answer of President Bashir has been to organize demonstrations in Khartoum and across Darfur saying “NO to Foreign Troops.”  In Nyala, there was a student march on Wednesday – 10,000 – to deliver a petition to the UNMIS mission. I am told it was orderly. I was actually in El Geneine, in West Darfur, at the time. But, today, at prayers in the mosques – sometime around noon – the word of the SC Resolution will be spread and we have, consequently, been placed on security alert with movement restricted to that which is essential. Whether or not they will permit us to go to Kalma, therefore, is unclear.

Kalma Camp, just a few kilometers outside of Nyala, has been a tense place. Last month, there were reports of large numbers of women (perhaps as many as 200) being raped when they were out collecting firewood, in some cases organized “mass” rapes. AMIS (the African Union Mission in Sudan – a force of  7000, highly underfunded – in fact, out of money at this point in time -- completely inadequate to cover Darfur -- an area the size of France though with a population of only 6 million) had stopped the firewood patrols that used to accompany the women when they left the camp, putting them at the mercy of the armed camel militia (the Janjaweed) that roam the area with impunity. The firewood is collected not only for cooking, but to generate some income for the women who sell it or make charcoal from it – the only income most of the women have to supplement the relief food that they receive. The youth in the camps – and there are large number of boys and young men in the camps with nothing to do -- have become militant and formed themselves into vigilante parties, as the Government of Sudan (GoS) police are not allowed in many of the camps and violence has escalated as the camps have become awash with arms.  

The situation here in Darfur – and in Sudan more generally – is highly complex and I have only a very superficial knowledge of it. What am I doing here? The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) which was signed in May – but which has only been accepted by two of the four main protagonists in this conflict – called for a Joint Assessment Mission to develop an Early Recovery Program (ERC) for Darfur. The JAM has 6 main clusters – with a few experts on each, working on “Peace and Security,” “Governance and Capacity Building,” “Basic Social Services,” “War Affected Communities – Livelihood Activities,” “Rule of Law” and “Returns.” Then there are “cross-cutting issues” – that affect all of the clusters – Gender, Reconciliation and Protection. I am doing the “Protection” dimension – to ensure that all of the 6 clusters take into account the need to protect civilians in the conflict and the human rights of all Darfurians in the peace. The problem is that there is no peace in Darfur. And since the signing of the DPA, there has been more, rather than less, violence. The opposition has fragmented further and the Government, with support from one SLA (Sudanese Liberation Army) faction – led by Mini Minawi and supported by armed militia (including the Janjaweed, the armed nomads) has been trying to consolidate or extend its areas of control – causing more displacement.  This week, there were attacks on a number of villages south of Buram in south Darfur, creating another 10,000 IDPs in that region. In North Darfur, the situation is very tense as the Government has sent in large number of troops to head off a feared attack on El Fashir (the capital of that province) and to drive the National Redemption Front  (NRF) out of a number of areas that they occupy.

There have been a number of attacks on NGOs. Three cars of ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) were hi-jacked about 10 days ago and two days ago ICRC found out that they killed the driver that they had abducted with the vehicles. So ICRC has pulled back all their staff in North Darfur to El Fashir.

All this being said, when I read the statement of Jan Egeland – UN Emergency Relief Coordinator warning that “if the humanitarian operation were to collapse, we could see hundreds of thousands of deaths” and that the fighting between Government forces and the rebels who did not sign the DPA “has resulted in hundreds of deaths, despicable gender based violence, systematic looting and an estimated 50,000 displaced in the last 8 weeks,” it sounds a bit surreal because it is not the way it feels on the ground. Which is not to say that it is not correct; it just doesn’t feel that I am in the middle of a war scenario of that magnitude.

Since coming here, I have been based in Nyala and have, thus far, made trips to Kabum and Kass (in south Darfur),  to El Fashir in north Darfur, and to Geneina in West Darfur – so to all three Darfurian provinces. The biggest challenge in the south was the condition of the roads and the water filled wadis that we had to cross. On the three (which became a four) day Kabum trip, with two four-wheel drive jeeps – there were at least 20 occasions that we needed to use the winch to get one car or the other out of mud. And there were places we wanted to go to but couldn’t reach because of the flooding. We had to stay an extra day because it took so long to cover the distance, given the condition of the roads. When you talk of roads here, you stretch the language, because most are just tracks across arid fields.  How the drivers know where to drive actually beats me as there are no sign posts anywhere. From Geneina, we visited one IDP camp – Sisi – that was accessible only by helicopter and was last visited by anyone from the international community only in June. Indeed, many places are only accessible that way, because of banditry on the roads. Most are classified D” – which means you can only travel with armed escort, or where you can only travel in a convoy of 4 vehicles. That essentially means there are no-go areas because you cannot get the escorts of vehicles. But all that being said, and despite visits now to many IDP camps, it still doesn’t feel like a war zone.

On the personal level, the greatest hardship is the absolutely miserable quality of Darfurian (I hesitate to generalize to all of Sudan) food. People here eat breakfast, call “futur” at around 11 a.m. which consists of “full” (which is largely red beans cooked with some meat) and almost everything – lots of tough meat -- is fried in oil with little or no green or fresh vegetables. There are a few restaurants in Nyala, one worse than the other, but we are lucky by comparison with El Fashir, which has only “The Roast House” (fried hamburgers, fried chicken, fried mutton), or Geneina – which has no restaurants. There is actually one place in Nyala, the “Lebanese,” which does serve a good salad and sometimes baba ganoush or humus. And there is one “Indian” – a little far, as it is on the other side of the market -- which sometime is OK. But, as I have gotten to know people here, I have had some “home cooked” meals – you can buy pasta, and tinned tuna, and tinned mushrooms, and in the market you can get tomatoes and eggplant. So some variety is possible. At the Syrian grocery, you can sometimes get yoghurt and, if you want to spend $10 a box, you can even buy corn flakes.

The accommodations are basic. A lumpy mattress. A fan in the room (no aircon) if the generator is on, a cold shower, a toilet, in my guest house, a real toilet – in most places a squat. The body is a creature of habit; it took quite awhile till I taught it to pee from a squatting position. The bladder kept saying – this is not the conditions under which I empty myself!! But, you can teach an old dog new tricks – it is possible. For example, I no longer flinch when I see cockroaches. That is just part of the landscape. The other evening, I watched with fascination in our courtyard as a small rat attacked and devoured a particularly large roach, maybe four inches long and a good two inches wide.

And – you do learn new and fascinating things. For example, in discussions with some blacksmiths in a village outside of Nyala, I learned that a camel can do twice the work of a donkey, but it costs 10 times more to feed a camel than to feed a donkey. Hence, in the 1990’s, the camel plough was modified into a donkey plough with the donkeys now doing most of the field work. I have also learned that the plants that look like small bulrushes are millet, while sorgum is a large cluster of fat grains clumped together on the stalk.

I have bought a few attractive mats and baskets here to support IDP women (woven with orange and red dyed raffia), a donkey whip, and a few handmade knives – but there is not much to buy. Jesse and Rox will be relieved I think, though I am going to have to send what I bought home with DHL, given how little luggage we are allowed. To Nyala, I was permitted 15 kilo, which meant I left one suitcase in Khartoum. Another is in Geneva.

How long I will be here is not clear.  The project is due to end by mid to end Septemebr so I will probably be moving on by early October, if not sooner. But I need to write my program folk in Geneva to see what is next in store.

While Internet is irregular here, it is always great to hear from people, so do write.

With warmest regards,