Refugees International: Reports: Visual Mission: Firewood Gathering Patrol in Darfur

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Visual Mission: Firewood Gathering Patrol in Darfur

When displaced women of South Darfur leave their camps to go out and collect firewood, they are often at risk of being attacked. Often having to travel up to 20 kilometers away from the relative safety of the IDP camps in order to find wood and grass, women are raped, beaten, and harassed by men they describe as “janjaweed” or armed men on horse or camelback. In an attempt to reduce the likelihood of attack, the international community, along with the government of Sudan (GoS), have organized “firewood patrols” along the routes for firewood collection in two camps in Nyala, South Darfur Refugees International advocates, Sarah Martin and Sally Chin, accompanied a firewood patrol for the women of Otash and Dereig internally displaced camps.

Darfur 2005: Police Forces Ride in AMIS Truck on Patrol

12/06/2005
The government of Sudan has the primary responsibility for the protection of internally displaced people in camps like Otash. However, its officials are severely limited in their capacity to do this as they lack cars and personnel to patrol large areas on a regular basis. Additionally, in the past, they have been accused of being in cahoots with the people who attack the women, or of even committing the rapes themselves. The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has stationed unarmed Civilian Police officers (CIVPOL) in the camps to monitor and mentor the government police by accompanying them on patrol and following up on investigations. In Otash, the AU CIVPOL camp is co-located with the government police station inside the perimeters of the camp, so they pick up the Sudanese police officers in a truck to begin the patrol.