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International Women's Day: The Women of Darfur
August 10, 2011 | Camilla Olson | Tagged as: South Sudan, Sudan
In honor of International Women's Day on March 8th, Refugees International is taking this week on our blog to focus on the stories of refugee women from around the world.
It’s amazing how quickly the situation can change in Darfur. When my colleague, Melanie Teff, and I were in Sudan at the end of last year, the majority of international organizations providing humanitarian aid in West Darfur were able to reach people in need. While all aid groups in Darfur struggle with constant access and security constraints, at the time the humanitarian organizations operating in West Darfur seemed to have fewer hassles than those working in South or North Darfur.
Now, the situation in West Darfur is dramatically different. Last month, civilian areas north of Geneina were hit by repeated aerial bombings carried out by the Government of Sudan, which claimed it was targeting rebel groups in the area. Villages were also burnt , civilians were attacked and women were raped by janjaweed militia. The bombings and militia attacks have forced tens of thousands of civilians in West Darfur to flee their homes, many crossing into neighboring Chad.
Those most affected by the continuing insecurity in Darfur are of course the most vulnerable. Two refugee women and two children who fled into Chad died on the border in late February from the cold temperatures while waiting for international assistance to reach them. Women have long borne the brunt of the conflict in Darfur, and as these images of the aftermath of the bombings in West Darfur illustrate, they continue to be deeply affected by the arbitrary acts of violence carried out against them and their families by both sides of the conflict.
Analysts say that the recent violence in West Darfur echoes the early, worst days of the Darfur conflict which began in 2003 and has displaced more than 2.5 million people. They also warn it may be a sign of more terror to come. Yet Chad, which already hosts around 240,000 refugees from the Darfur conflict, is no longer such a welcoming place for the newly displaced, the majority of whom are women and children. Chadian rebels are now also fighting against their government inside Chad. In February, the Government of Chad issued a public statement saying that any new refugees would be pushed back to Darfur. And when the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) tried to relocate the newly displaced further inside Chad so that they could be given protection and assistance, they were blocked by armed groups.
The crisis in Chad and the insecurity along the border with Darfur over the past month has had a serious impact on the humanitarian response in the eastern part of Sudan. Many international aid organizations were forced to suspend their assistance programs for refugees and internally displaced Chadians in the east, and UNHCR had to pull out their staff at one point because of the air strikes along the Darfur border. The latest update is that UNHCR will begin transferring some of the 13,000 new refugees from Darfur to a safer location in Chad this week.
All of this news reminds us that Darfur is not just an isolated conflict. It is connected to Chad, to skirmishes in the Central African Republic, and to south Sudan as it rebuilds from a fledgling peace. Ending the conflict in Darfur will require a comprehensive strategy by the United States and other governments that addresses insecurity in the region as a whole. As we’ve written many times before this approach must include holding the Government of Sudan accountable for its actions, enforcing an arms embargo on the Government of Sudan and Chadian and Sudanese rebels, and supporting the UN and European peacekeeping forces sent to the region.
--Camilla Olson
It’s amazing how quickly the situation can change in Darfur. When my colleague, Melanie Teff, and I were in Sudan at the end of last year, the majority of international organizations providing humanitarian aid in West Darfur were able to reach people in need. While all aid groups in Darfur struggle with constant access and security constraints, at the time the humanitarian organizations operating in West Darfur seemed to have fewer hassles than those working in South or North Darfur.
Now, the situation in West Darfur is dramatically different. Last month, civilian areas north of Geneina were hit by repeated aerial bombings carried out by the Government of Sudan, which claimed it was targeting rebel groups in the area. Villages were also burnt , civilians were attacked and women were raped by janjaweed militia. The bombings and militia attacks have forced tens of thousands of civilians in West Darfur to flee their homes, many crossing into neighboring Chad.
Those most affected by the continuing insecurity in Darfur are of course the most vulnerable. Two refugee women and two children who fled into Chad died on the border in late February from the cold temperatures while waiting for international assistance to reach them. Women have long borne the brunt of the conflict in Darfur, and as these images of the aftermath of the bombings in West Darfur illustrate, they continue to be deeply affected by the arbitrary acts of violence carried out against them and their families by both sides of the conflict.
Analysts say that the recent violence in West Darfur echoes the early, worst days of the Darfur conflict which began in 2003 and has displaced more than 2.5 million people. They also warn it may be a sign of more terror to come. Yet Chad, which already hosts around 240,000 refugees from the Darfur conflict, is no longer such a welcoming place for the newly displaced, the majority of whom are women and children. Chadian rebels are now also fighting against their government inside Chad. In February, the Government of Chad issued a public statement saying that any new refugees would be pushed back to Darfur. And when the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) tried to relocate the newly displaced further inside Chad so that they could be given protection and assistance, they were blocked by armed groups.
The crisis in Chad and the insecurity along the border with Darfur over the past month has had a serious impact on the humanitarian response in the eastern part of Sudan. Many international aid organizations were forced to suspend their assistance programs for refugees and internally displaced Chadians in the east, and UNHCR had to pull out their staff at one point because of the air strikes along the Darfur border. The latest update is that UNHCR will begin transferring some of the 13,000 new refugees from Darfur to a safer location in Chad this week.
All of this news reminds us that Darfur is not just an isolated conflict. It is connected to Chad, to skirmishes in the Central African Republic, and to south Sudan as it rebuilds from a fledgling peace. Ending the conflict in Darfur will require a comprehensive strategy by the United States and other governments that addresses insecurity in the region as a whole. As we’ve written many times before this approach must include holding the Government of Sudan accountable for its actions, enforcing an arms embargo on the Government of Sudan and Chadian and Sudanese rebels, and supporting the UN and European peacekeeping forces sent to the region.
--Camilla Olson
Labels: Darfur
