Displaced in Darfur and Chad
writer: joni danzl
photographer: ron haviv - vii
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A 12-year-old girl (right) was separated from her friends and assaulted by soldiers. |
Since 2003 more than 200,000 Sudanese have been killed and an estimated 2.2 million driven from their homes. A complex conflict over the ownership and resources of the Darfur region of western Sudan involves several factions including rebel groups, militias and government troops. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), villages continue to be burned and looted with crops and livestock destroyed. The United Nations identifies Darfur as one of the world’s worst current humanitarian crises.
Most of the displaced people make their way to camps within Darfur or into the neighboring country of Chad. Those who have crossed the border into Chad find asylum in refugee camps. Those who remain within Sudan, however, stay in camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP). These camps are established because the surrounding communities cannot absorb the influx of displaced people. Refugee and IDP camps are maintained by organizations such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF, American Refugee Committee (ARC) and World Food Programme (WFP). More than 12,000 relief workers deliver food, water and medical care and provide protection, education and training. |
The conflict in Darfur has torn apart the lives of millions of people - mostly women and children. |
A young Sudanese refugee from darfur prepares bricks to build a home at the Iridimi refugee camp in Chad. |
The mass number of people in each camp has stretched the surrounding natural resources beyond their means. Those in the camps need wood for heat, cooking and shelter as well as water for drinking, food preparation and bathing. Searching for these necessities has become increasingly difficult – forcing people to travel greater distances, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.
Darfur, which is a semidesert region, is becoming deforested because of the thousands of people that need wood within each camp. In an effort to replenish these resources in the areas surrounding the camps humanitarian groups such as UNHCR
and ARC are leading reforestation efforts.
Wells and water yards are being developed as quickly as possible, but they cannot keep up with the demand. For this reason, UNICEF is drilling wells, rehabilitating hand pumps and bringing in tankers and storage bladders of water. |
Young girls leave the Abu Shouk IDP camp in north Darfur to gather firewood, which can take more than seven hours. They must walk a great distance, leaving behind the relative safety of the camp and making them vulnerable to attacks. Girls as young as 8 have been raped and killed trying to collect wood. |
Women wait for food distribution at the Kalma camp in south Darfur. |
| Gereida, the largest IDP camp in Darfur, accommodates 130,000 people. Due to the influx of IDPs, shelter in the camp is difficult to provide. Therefore, most people construct their own shelters for protection from heat, sandstorms and air attacks. They collect plastic sheeting, metal scraps, wood or other scavenged materials for their refuge. In addition to their shelters, displaced people also need protection and monitoring services to guard against possible attacks while within the camps. Aid organizations throughout the region strive to provide a safe environment for IDPs and refugees. |
A young boy shields himself from a sandstorm at an IDP camp in Selia, west Darfur. Tents are not readily available, so people make shelters out of what they can find. |
Herders move their animals toward a water hole in west Darfur. |
Children tend to their sheep herds in north Darfur. |
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