Agency Will Not Pull Out of Darfur Despite Partial Evacuation
Although eruptions of violence in Darfur have forced Norwegian Church Aid to suspend all activity in the areas to the north and east of Nyala, the agency said Friday that it would not pull out of the war-torn region.
Although eruptions of violence in Darfur have forced Norwegian Church Aid to suspend all activity in the areas to the north and east of Nyala, the agency said Friday that it would not pull out of the war-torn region.
“We will not pull out of Darfur,” said Anne Lise Fossland, Norwegian Church Aid’s representative in Sudan. “It is essential that the world does not forget about what is happening in Darfur, and we must work to reach a lasting solution to the conflict.”
Norwegian Church Aid and partners run several clinics and food centers in the areas that have recently been under attack. According to the agency, as soon as reports came in that attacks could be expected, all workers were immediately pulled out of the area. However, Fossland reported that the agency is still fully active in other areas, and all evacuated staff have been put to work in safer areas.
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According to Norwegian Church Aid, the last months have been very challenging for the agency as a number of refugees were shot and killed following an attack in one camp, and on many occasions, healthcare workers have been forced to treat sick and injured patients in the open air.
“We find the situation extremely worrying,” Fossland said. “People are lying under trees, they have lost absolutely everything. The situation could soon become desperate, and it is impossible to get aid out to these regions in the current climate.”
“The tragedy of Darfur is far from over,” she added. During the last year, Fossland has visited the province in West Sudan on several occasions.
Norwegian Church Aid reports that the existing camps are filling with ever increasing numbers of internally displaced persons and the security situation is worsening. According to UN statistics, 1.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes and villages. It is estimated that at least 70,000 people have been killed. In many areas, the situation is impossible to monitor.
“We are grateful to know that our workers are in safety. But the people in these areas rely on our assistance, and I fear for what will happen to them,” Fossland said. “Our clinics and food centers may have been plundered – we simply do not know.”
At the moment, Norwegian Church Aid is following the developments hour by hour, and says it will resume working with the internally displaced persons north and east of Nyala as soon as the security situation permits.
