What is it really like to be in Darfur? To many, Darfur is just a word with a myriad of terrible connotations. But what is really happening on the ground? The conflict there has been an undercurrent bubbling consistently in the news and in our consciences for five years now, so that it has almost become a permanent embodiment of the African stereotype – war, poverty, and turmoil. Paddy Drain has recently returned from a nine-month mission in the region as a flying nurse with Médecins Sans Frontières. I had a chance to talk to her about her experience and to discuss what lies ahead for Darfur’s besieged people.
The turmoil in Darfur, a region in western Sudan, was initially caused by a lack of resources. Since the early eighties, recurring drought has forced nomadic Arabs in northern Darfur to move south into the territory of African farmers to search for water. The farmers began to fence off their land, and conflict between the groups ensued in 2003, with the Arab-dominated Sudanese government supporting the nomads’ militant faction, the Janjaweed, in its attacks against the southern rebels. Ethnic tension and overpopulation then exacerbated the war, now in its fifth year.
Drain was based in southern Darfur, in the heart of the crisis zone. As a flying nurse, she was flown all over the region to whichever place needed her most, enabling her to gain a rare overview of the area. A common misperception of the conflict, she said, is that it is a clearly defined war between the Janjaweed and a few rebel groups. She was keen to emphasise that there was a lot more to it than that. “There are many forms of violence – tribal clashes, rebel and government clashes, nomadic militia clashes, cattle raids, personal violence, domestic and sexual violence; there are so many different factions and parties in Darfur who make and break alliances so fast, one cannot keep up.”
She tells of an attack on the village of Muhajariha. “There had been an Antanov aeroplane flying over the village a couple of days prior to the violence. The only force in Darfur with aerial capability is the government.” Whilst it’s impossible to confirm government responsibility for attacks, it does seem likely that they are behind at least some, directly or indirectly. Drain says, “the government appear to have a divide and conquer approach – arming one group and then pointing them towards another group they want removed'” However the government cannot be blamed entirely for the region’s instability; rather, it is not making a concerted effort to combat the turmoil.
There is an African Union (AU) peace-keeping force in Darfur, and a UN force arrived recently. But of the 26,000 troops promised, fewer than half have been deployed. Drain has doubts regarding their impact. “From my experience, when there was any violence, the AU would stay in their compound, close their doors and wait for the trouble to pass”. She was no more enthusiastic about the prospects of the joint AU-UN force. Although expectation amongst the people was “formidable”, all that had really happened was that, “the African Union troops now just wore blue helmets and berets. They were all African, no Europeans.”
There are a number of camps for internally displaced people in southern Darfur, some home to over 100,000 people. Drain explained that the camp she worked in appeared to be controlled by two groups: the sheikhs – leaders of the various tribes “who try to bring order” – and “gangs of youths using bullying tactics to get what they want”. Life is particularly hard for the women. “In this society, it really is a man’s world; women are very much third-class citizens and are often attacked”.
You would wonder how anyone could find solace in such grim circumstances, but Drain can recall uplifting experiences. “This woman who had no pain relief barely even squeaked as she gave birth in this little hut; you could tell she was in excruciating pain but she really made hardly any sound. It was humbling, and made me smile for the rest of the day.” But naturally there were some very tough times. One particular story of Drain’s stands out. “A small child was with us for 6 weeks on our nutritional programme,” she said. “He was discharged and ordered to return once a week, which he did for a while. Then he disappeared for many weeks and the next time his mother brought him in, he’d lost the health we’d worked to build up in him. It transpired that his grandmother had taken him to a traditional healer and the inside of his mouth had been burnt and his tongue cut, so he wasn’t feeding; by the time he came to us he was in a bad way. The mother herself was about 15 years old and just sat on the edge of the bed with these huge tears rolling down her face. My heart just went out to her”. The child died that night.
The situation in Sudan is dire and unacceptable; it is estimated to have displaced 2.5 million and killed between 200,000 and 400,000. Asked if she could see any hope of a resolution to the conflict, Drain replied, “No – on so many levels…The current NGO activity is miniscule in comparison to what is needed.” On his inception as UN Secretary-General, Ban-Ki-Moon said he planned to be “directly and personally engaged” in the search for a Darfur settlement. Paddy says that the international community must band together to resolve the situation – “but due to the natural resources that Sudan has, this is unlikely.” It is a depressing summation, but a realistic one. The problem is that Sudan looks to China, not to the West. If China can be pressured into intervening politically, then there is hope. But with the USA fast losing influence in the world, that is difficult to achieve. That does not mean, though, that we can allow ourselves stop trying.
