Crisis will continue for years if new talks fail

Children play near newly constructed shelters in Mershing camp, Darfur [Alistair Dutton]

Darfur peace deal must be struck as international funding begins to dry up and refugees face another two years in camps

The Darfur peace talks are to restart on September 15 and are the only hope for more than three million people affected by the conflict.

Violence in the area is escalating and hunger increasing, but the world’s attention has shifted from the crisis and the people of Darfur risk becoming victims of a forgotten tragedy.

The new talks come just one day after United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan announced the new UN outcome document by saying: “For the first time, you [the member states] will accept, clearly and unambiguously, that you have a collective responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”

Unless this current round of peace talks held in Nigeria’s capital Abuja with the government of Sudan and the two rebel groups JEM and the SLA succeed, those forced out of their homes by the conflict are unlikely to be able to return home for the next planting season in June next year.

With no crops planted, they will have nothing to eat if they return home and therefore will have to stay in camps until at least October 2007.

Peacekeepers under threat

Violence has increased over the last few weeks with frequent attacks of banditry on aid convoys. The African Union troops have warned that international funding is running out to finance their peacekeeping role.
CAFOD is part of the ACT/Caritas Darfur programme providing emergency help to around half a million people in West and South Darfur.
Head of programmes Brian Martin said: “In the last four months there has been a general increase in banditry and lawlessness in both West and South Darfur, particularly the South. Aid lorries driven by commercial drivers have come under attack and their contents hijacked.
“If the talks succeed, the main issue on the ground will be that of security. For the people to want to return home they will have to be guaranteed security from attack and harassment.

"The only way to achieve this is for the African Union force, which currently numbers 6,000, to be increased to say 15,000 men. This is the size of force that is required to police a region as big as Darfur, which is roughly the same size as France.
“Also the remit of this force must be changed. Currently they are charged with observing what is happening here.

"In any future development they must be empowered to provide peace-keeping services, where they can physically prevent people from being attacked and fire back if attacked themselves.”

Poor nutrition

A recent nutritional survey carried out by the programme showed that levels of malnutrition are high in Darfur communities.

Many of those forced out of their homes by the conflict chose to live with friends, family or generous strangers rather than the displaced camps. Their host families share their meagre amounts of food and so often go hungry themselves.
In the nutritional survey of Zalingei town, which has a population of 30,000, nearly one in five children under the age of five is malnourished.
The influx of displaced people has also caused problems for the host communities. The ecological system is challenged as the demand for water becomes greater and trees are cut down to provide firewood.
Recent video footage of Darfur is available as are photographs and interviews with CAFOD staff who have recently visited the area.
For further information please contact Fiona Callister on 020 7326 5558 or 07867 908720 or fcallister@cafod.org.uk

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