So why did the West push for South Sudan's independence?
[i-sudan%20oil%20fields]
75% of the oil reserve in Sudan, perhaps 6.5 billion barrels, is located in South Sudan (Source).
Since the "second" Sudan war between the North and South started in 1983, an estimated 2 million civilians were killed, and at least 4 million were displaced at least once.
During the war, aid agencies set up one of the largest, most costly and complex humanitarian relief operations ever, "Operation Lifeline Sudan", running a "relief pipeline" from Kenya (and partially Uganda) into the South. An operation which was often criticised as "fueling the conflict".
True or not, I guess "Operation Bulletline Sudan" fueled the conflict much more: While Russia -mostly through proxies- and China -mostly thru "oil-for-bullets" deals- made good business of arms deals with the North, the "West" kept "an extensive arms pipeline" running to the South during the whole conflict.
For years, the world kept their eyes closed, as business was good: selling weapons dearly, and getting cheap oil, I mean, what more can one wish?
This US arms supply to the South continues to run up to this very day, mostly through Kenya, one of the strongest US proxies in the region. Meanwhile, Russia and China continue to supply Khartoum. What will this lead to? An expanded conflict border zone where North and South Sudan dispute oil fields.
Aren't we lucky there is an embargo for selling arms to Sudan?
PS: this map might indicate the oilfields more clearly (Tnx @MFB)
My Open Letter to the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch
[i-Bush and Annan toasting]
Under the title "Sudan/United Nations: Do Not Meet With Officials Wanted for War Crimes", Kenneth Roth - the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch - published a letter to the UN Secretary General.
He questioned the sanity of UN officials attending the inauguration of Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, who is indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country's western Darfur region.
I have mixed feelings about this stand, and decided to write an open letter to Mr. Kenneth Roth myself. Here are both letters:
Letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
May 24, 2010
Dear Secretary-General:
I was dismayed to learn of your spokesperson's recent announcement that UN representatives Haile Menkerios and Ibrahim Gambari plan to attend the May 27 presidential inauguration of Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum. I urge you to reconsider this decision because it is both wrong and contrary to United Nations (UN) guidelines on this very issue.
UN guidelines limit UN interaction with individuals indicted by international criminal courts such as President al-Bashir to "what is strictly required for carrying out UN mandated activities." Attendance at the inauguration cannot be justified as "strictly required." To the contrary, the UN guidelines state that "[t]he presence of UN representatives in any ceremonial or similar occasion with [persons indicted by international criminal courts] should be avoided." In addition, I understand that further UN guidance specifically concerning President al-Bashir bearing your initials states that "interactions of a ceremonial nature with President Al-Bashir should be avoided, including courtesy calls, receptions, photo opportunities, attendance at national day celebrations and so on."
These guidelines are right. Disregarding them will significantly damage the UN's credibility. Attending the inauguration of an individual subject to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for serious atrocity crimes would send a terrible message to victims of such crimes in Darfur and around the world that their suffering is not reason enough to dispense with ceremonial support for their alleged abuser. Attendance also risks signaling that the United Nations is not committed to the ICC's success-a signal that would be particularly unfortunate to send in the week before the first review conference of the ICC's Rome Statute, which takes place in neighboring Kampala, Uganda from May 31 to June 11, 2010. The review conference will be a moment of significant attention to the court's work and an important time to showcase dedication to the cause of international justice. Any short-sighted breach of the UN's own principles will be doing neither the court nor you any favors.
For all of these reasons, I hope you will reconsider the plans for UN officials at any level to attend the al-Bashir inauguration. Should you wish to discuss this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Roth
Executive Director
Human Rights Watch
My answer reads:
Letter to Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
May 27th 2010
Dear Mr. Roth,
While I applaud the tenacity in which your organisation pursues injustice and attempts to protect the weak and oppressed, I call upon you for a better balance in your actions, rather than pushing for issues "that suit The West".
You are correctly insisting the UN should be consequent in its actions towards Mr.al-Bashir. However, so should your organisation.
As an example: Back in 2003, George H.W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkopf and Tommy Franks were indicted in a Belgian court for crimes against humanity, under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Under the pressure of the US, the Belgian law was changed. Apart from my amazement on the hypocrisy of the Belgian politicians, I would still like to point out that your organisation was one of the six human rights groups calling the loss of the universal jurisdiction component "a step backwards in the global fight against the worst atrocities."
Now I wonder, if you stood that firmly on the principle of universal jurisprudence, and indeed supported the indictment of the Bush gang, did you also write a letter to the UN Secretary General insisting on avoiding any official contact with the Bush administration?
I understand both cases are unsimilar. Bush was unfortunately not indicted by the ICC - even though he should have been. However, I call upon you, to stand by your universal principles. Bashing Mr.al-Bashir is singing a tune very popular in the West. Bashing Bush would not have been. Or was that goal too high? Too ambitious? Too costly for your organisation's supporters? Funders?
For all of these reasons, I hope you will admit the error at that time of the Bush administration. I encourage your organisation to pursue objective measures, and not only those suiting The West, or to those popular by demand, and easy hits in Western media.
Should you wish to discuss this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Peter Casier
World Citizen
Let's see what he says.
Picture courtesy AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
MSF: Top 10 humanitarian crisis of 2009
[i-MSF: Afghan elder with child]
Just like Christmas carols, pennies in the Salvation Army collection tin, loads of booze, turkey experiments in the oven, and presents you never asked for, MSF (or "Doctors without Borders" for the Anglophones) has its annual traditions too: Every year-end, them release theirs "Top Ten Humanitarian Crisis of 2009".
On The Road, we have the tradition of summarizing this Top 10 of "world shame" (see our 2008 and 2007 posts).
Top 10 humanitarian crisis of 2009[i-Top 10 humanitarian crisis of 2009]MSF began with the "Top Ten" list in 1998, when a famine in southern Sudan went largely unreported in the US media. Maybe due to the CNN effect ("no media attention, no aid pesos"), MSF went a more commercial course last year, converting "the most Underreported Crisis" list, to "the Top 10 Humanitarian Crisis".
This year, MSF reports in their top 10:
For as far as I am concerned, the 2009 list could just have been a cut and paste from the 2008 list. Except that for one reason or the other, Zimbabwe was dropped from "The List". Maybe it was considered a hopeless case anyway. How about including violence in South Africa, tribal turbulence in Kenya, sexual violence and child labour in many parts of Africa, increased hunger and malnutrition in the US, large scale displaced people in Colombia, the increase of urban poverty, inaccessibility to food rather than unavailability of food....
Guess MSF might have been a bit short of inspiration and imagination this year. But then again, in all due fairness, their "Top 10 List of Shame" is a must-read. Check out the excellent pictures list which goes with the Top 10.
How about this, why don't we start our own "2009 Humanity's Shame Top 10" list? Stay tuned, will announce it soon.
Update:
1. We kicked off our "Humanity's Shame Top 1o". Accepting nominations on this post.
2. Nominations are closed. You can vote for your "Humanity's Shame" on this post.
3. The poll results are out. Check out this post for our "Humanity's Shame Top 10"
Picture courtesy Jobi Bieber/MSF
The LRA: unresolved questions
[i-LRA child soldiers]
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) was founded back in 1987 as an armed opposition against the Ugandan government. At that time they based themselves in South Sudan, but operated mainly in Uganda.
They became mostly known through their numerous abuses and atrocities against civilians, including the abduction, rape, maiming, and killing of defenseless people. They regularly kidnap children to enslave them as child prostitutes and soldiers in there so-called "army".
Since they were pushed out of North Uganda in 2005, the LRA has been terrorizing civilians in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), South Sudan and Uganda, hopping over the borders.
In February this year, the Ugandan army - apparently aided by the US - tried to root out the LRA from DRC. The LRA retreated, killing 900 civilians in the process (Full)
Even just a few days ago, the LRA kidnapped around 135 villagers, including children, during two attacks in DRC's North East. (Full)
I invite you to look at this excellent video, one of the very few interviews ever made with Kony, the LRA's leader.
It stroke me how the LRA seems to be mostly a loosely knit group of bandits, clearly with a wide network of informants, held together by the Thuraya telephone network. There is no clear goal nor ideology behind the LRA. When Kony was asked "why are you fighting?", he answered "for democracy", but it did not go any deeper than that.
Add to these impressions that their overall troop strength is estimated anywhere between 500 and 3,000 soldiers (half of them estimated to be women and children), I am left with only two, but fundamental questions:
- How come nobody has been able to smoke out this gang of bandits (wanted by the ICC - International Criminal Court by the way)? In this day and age where technology exists and is routinely used to track the movement of people using satellite phones? Why is there an apparent unwillingness of the international community to make an end to these atrocities, which, to top it all up, continue to contribute to the instability in Eastern Congo, one of the longest lasting conflicts in Africa?
- Who supports these rebels? They would not be able to operate without the financial and logistics backing of an entity. What entity? Who would contribute to an instable South Sudan, Uganda and DRC? Khartoum?
Marriage, the Sudan way.
[i-Ladies in Bor South Sudan]
Another story by Enrico, a fellow aidworker in South Sudan, who wrote several short stories on The Road.
Late evening, I step out of our compound with a Ugandan colleague for a last (walking) meeting, when we're approached by a man wearing an military uniform, visibly eager to chat with a Kawagia ("white man" in the local language).
Despite their past bellicose nature, the locals here in Jonglei, South Sudan are usually friendly and discrete. After the usual how-are-you question, he uncommonly ventures a bit further by inquiring for my name and my nationality, and abruptly asks:
- “What’s marriage like in Europe?”
- “I beg your pardon?”, I say doubtfully.
- “I mean, do you pay the brides by cow or by cash?”, he specifies.
- “Well, neither of the two.”, I respond casually to hide my amusement
- “So what’s the advantage for the owner of the girl then?”, he replies with a big smile and looks at me as if I’m coming from outer space. He chuckles and as he walks away he turns to my colleague and says:
- “Hey, black brother, you’d better tell your friend how it works!” still smiling and mulling over the funniest thing that ever happened to him.
Picture courtesy Ulrik Pedersen
Excuses...
[i-Bor South Sudan]
Enrico, a fellow aidworker in South Sudan, wrote several short stories on The Road.
He just told me this story:
I was waiting for a convoy to come back from Panyagor to Bor town, the capital city of Jonglei State in South Sudan. The convoy comprising of two 4x4 Landcruisers arrived at the compound. One of the vehicles was badly damaged.
I approached one of the drivers and asked him how the journey was.
- “Very bad”, the driver replied.
- “What happened?”, I asked.
- “A python capsized my vehicle”, the driver continued in half English.
- “How big could it have been?”
- “Very big, indeed”, he concluded and entered his tent.
In French, they say "Les excuses sont faits pour s'en servir"... If you want to find an excuse for something, you can always find one.
Picture courtesy Ulrik Pedersen
A bridge being built in Sudan
[i-A Sudan bridge being built]
I just came across an interesting blog, Unity Bridge, about a development project in Yabus, Sudan.
Yabus is home to five tribes and 60,000 people, divided by a river that is impassable for up to six months every year.
The blog follows the project to build a 74m bridge which will unite the town so that both sides will enjoy access to the clinic, market, and schools all year long. The small and big hurdles, success stories and setbacks so typical for development work in Africa.
Picture courtesy Unity Bridge
Jihad on horseback
Two years ago, Al Arabiya producer Nabil Kassem was asked to put together a documentary film on Darfur.
What he witnessed there, and recorded in this film, were scenes of unspeakable brutality and untold suffering.
The movie never made it to the airwaves. That is why we publish it on our blog.
If you are interested in Darfur, check out Darfur Now!
More on The Road about Darfur, Sudan and genocide
Video courtesy europenews.dk
Worrying events...
[i-swat valley refugees]
There is always something going on, somewhere in the world, that keeps us, aidworkers, busy. Here is what is on our mind these days:
- 8,000 Somalis are displaced in one day of fighting around Mogadishu (Full)
- A rebellion seems to be on the raise in Nigeria (Full) and Niger (Full)
- Relief agencies still don't have full access to the displaced civilians after the Tamil was defeated in Sri Lanka. (Full)
- Southern Sudan seems to fall back into violence (Full)
- ...while in Darfur, the war is flaring up again (Full)
- Pakistan's offensive in the Swat valley displaced 2.3 million people, with aid agencies scrambling to cope. (Full)
Picture courtesy Reuters Read the full post...
As I am leaving Sudan.
[i-bor south sudan]
In the past, I published several stories written by Cyprien, one of my friends and colleagues.
Cyprien is originally from DRC but worked with us, based in Kosovo, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Senegal and Sudan. He is about to be reassigned to the Somalia operation and wrote this story reflecting on his time in Sudan. It is both a tribute and an emotional good-bye to a country he got to love during the past years.
As far back as primary school, I heard about Sudan. I do not remember very well in what context, but I am sure it was during our geography courses. Later I learnt more about Sudan over the news. I remember the days when every evening my father used to call me to sit with him and listen to the radio.
Almost, everyday there was news about Sudan then, just as there is today. I can't remember what it was all about, but I remember that the name John Garang was mentioned often.
As I grew up, my interest to Sudan became even greater as I realized that this country was one of our neighbors.
In 2005, when I got an assignment with the UN in Senegal, I hired a driver. During the interview, I requested his papers to learn more about him. In the paper he gave me I could read : " Ethnie (Ethnic group): Soudanais (Sudanese)".
I asked him how come he was of Sudanese ethnic group. This man did not go to school at all, but he gave me a clear answer: "Sudanese is a nationality, but it is also a race, and a ethnic group that migrated from Sudan to the Senegalese coast. These are often the taller and darker people you see in Senegal."
From then on, when they spoke about Sudan, I kept in my mind the idea of a country, a race and ethnic group.
In 2006, there was extensive media coverage on Sudan (or may be it was my feeling), some people talked about something similar to a genocide happening in Sudan. I heard about the Janjaweed militia, about Darfur, about the "South Sudan" issues. I remembered the pictures showing the UN planes flying in the Sudan skies airlifting food aid assistance. I saw the pictures of people suffering, I saw a picture of a child abandoned by its parents, struggling to walk as a wild bird waited for the child to die so it can eat him.
I felt a call to assist. I decided to search for an opportunity to go to Sudan and bring my small contribution.
By February 2007, I joined the Sudan relief operation. As I landed in Khartoum, I could count the few number of trees per square kilometer on the fingers of my hands. The city was brown. Its layout and geometric design reminded me of Islamabad, in Pakistan, where I had lived before.
As I walked the street of Khartoum, I did not feel like I was in a country at war or where ethnic groups were fighting against each other. Khartoum is rather a city where I found Sudanese of all origins and color all leaving together, even though I noticed some jobs were done only by one "category" of Sudanese.
I proceeded to the South days later. I slept in a tent. The only luxury I had was my ventilator which blew fresh air but also new dust. And dusty it surely was in the months of February and March.
In the South, you could find signs of heavy fighting that took place in the recent years, but all was relatively calm and people felt proud to enjoy peace. I travelled across the country and I could see the sign of hopes everywhere. Roads bridges being built, schools opening, some times even under a tree. The WFP Humanitarian Air Service flights which used to be the only ones in the sky, were joined by the commercial flights.
Slowly tents shelters that were used as accommodation by hotels, UN and NGOs were replaced by prefabs, and later on by durable structures. This, to me, was a signal of the progress, and all of this brought me hope about the Sudan that I got to love.
On a bright Sunday of Easter 2008 I went to pray in a local church. The priest started preaching about how to preserve the peace dearly acquired. He linked the suffering of Christ to the suffering of the people of South Sudan. He went to explain how after the suffering, Jesus rose high and enjoys great times at the Right of the Holy Father and he linked it on how south Sudanese are now enjoy life after the sad days.
One thing is missing, he explained: "I have seen hotels and restaurants opening from Juba Bridge (the south side of Juba town) to Gudele (the north side), but I have not seen one kindergarten being built!". "Can we develop a country with hotels and restaurants only? We need to build educational institutions if we want to establish ourselves as a nation", he continued. "I would like those who are in charge of issuing licenses to stop issuing licenses to open new restaurants, bars, and clubs and promote business related to education", the priest concluded.
The audience stood-up and exploded in a huge applause, but it got me to think about the institutional progress in Sudan.
UN agencies, INGO and donors have done a great job in South Sudan, where I have witnessed changes happening at a very high speed. One should be proud and happy for having contributed in a way or another to this, but how much of this progress was durable, and not superficial?
My worries grew bigger over the past months, as I am about to leave Sudan for Somalia. The ICC decided to issue an arrest warrant for the President of Sudan. I will not get involved in mitigating the collateral damage this is likely to have on the peace and development in the South. Specialists have already commented on that.
I will not talk about what will happen to millions of people who were surviving on aid, including food and medical supplies, distributed by the expelled NGOs.
I also do not want to think how much the Sudanese work force will survive with their families in the new global economic recession. A Sudanese friend who runs a car workshop, told me yesterday, both hands in his pocket: "Juba fell into a recession. I need to lay off some of my technicians. There are no more customers coming in anymore since few weeks now." Anybody in South Sudan is feeling business slowed down.
Economic recession, the repercussions of the ICC indictment, the superficiality of the economic development... These are the thoughts I have when I leave Sudan after two years.
Picture courtesy Ulrik Pedersen Read the full post...
More micro finance loans
[i-susan edward]
Susan Edward from Juba in Southern Sudan is 28 years old and married to a teacher. She has two children who are in school. Susan sells green vegetables at the market and is requesting a loan to open a shop.
We gave her a micro finance loan of $50.
This is one of the new loans we gave as part of $400 raised at the birthday party of my friend "E", who also wrote this short story on The Road.
"E" preferred not to receive gifts for her birthday, but asked for people to donate to our Change Starts Here project.
Ester was one of the people who stepped forward.
Thanks to Ester and "E", we financed these projects:
- Grace Elunai in Sudan: $50
- "Women in Need" group in Sierra Leone: $100
- Mimania Edward in Sudan: $50
- Susan Edward in Sudan: $50
- Rena Hasanova in Azerbayijan: $25
- Enero Women in Paraguay: $75
- Rubelyn Lumanta in Philippines: $50
Follow the progress of our project on our scorecard
With a big thanks again to Ester and "E"!
What if a genocide indictment would lead to another genocide?
[i-darfur refugee]
The Sudanese president Al-Bashir got indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country's western Darfur region. By now, everyone knows.
The international community, and the aid organisations working inside Sudan were weary of upcoming indictment since months.
Now the Sword of Damocles has fallen, they are dealing with the consequences: Sudan accused aid agencies of passing on information to the ICC and first expelled 10 NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations), followed by another three.
The impact goes beyond the expelled Darfur-based aid agencies themselves and their relief programmes. Many of these NGOs are implementing partners of other -often larger organisations-, who themselves were not expelled.
Concretely, this means that for non-expelled organisations, providing aid relief in Darfur will become even more challenging than it already was, with the security problems and logistical problems. More challenging, if not impossible for what is the largest humanitarian operation in the world.
So no wonder the aidworkers' blogosphere has been abuzz today on the ICC indictment and its consequences for the humanitarian relief efforts in Darfur. Check what Michael, Harry, Thirsty Palmetto, Paul, Scott, Peter and Rob have to say. (and check AidBlogs for more).
Add to that, what Rob Crilly, a reporter currently in Darfur, wrote on his blog a few days ago:
Today I met families who fled the fighting in Muhajiriya (..) One of them was Mariam Ahmed Abu. (..) She had survived six years of war but left when she realised she no longer had any children left to care for her. (..)All of that combined makes me think in how far the ICC indictment by itself will not cause a new genocide. Not one executed by AK47s and bombs dropped from helicopters, but a hidden genocide caused simply by blocking aid to flow to Darfur... Would we then have killed in the name of justice? Murdered those we should have protected?
She hadn't heard of the ICC until I asked her about it and I'm starting to think that taking Bashir to the Hague will be more of a victory for activists far away from Sudan than for the people stuck in this miserable war.
More on The Road about Darfur and Sudan.
By the way, if you have a high bandwidth Internet connection, you can watch "Darfur now", the movie online, right here on the The Road.
Picture courtesy Britolam.org Read the full post...
Wanted for war crimes: the Sudanese president.
[i-bashir:wanted for war crimes]
It's done. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir is charged on two counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity. This makes him a suspected criminal wanted in the 108 nations who ratified the ICC's Rome Statute. The US is not one of them, by the way, since Bush "unsigned" the US back in 2002.
Bashir is the first head of state to be indicted by the ICC while still in office. (Full)
ICC Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo said Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawah groups, on account of their ethnicity. "His motives were largely political, his alibi was a ‘counter-insurgency’, his intent was genocide". (Full)
While this is bad news for anyone in the world trying to get away with genocide, even within their own national territorial borders, here is a dark after-thought: Why would this happen for the Sudanese president and not for the leaders of Hamas and Israel who caused the suffering of Gaza civilians. Israel surely scored extra points for a criminal case due to its use of phosphorous bombs and targeting aid convoys, UN facilities and civilians.
How about indicting Bush and his gang on the basis of crimes against humanity? After all, they invaded a country causing thousands of deaths, millions of displaced, and dragging a whole region into violent turmoil? Unilaterally and on basis of forged evidence.
PS: Keep an eye on my predictions on how the situation will evolve inside Sudan.
Update March 5: Trouble already starts: Sudan expels 10 aid agencies
(more updates in the side column)
Discovered via The Road Daily.
Picture courtesy Antony Njuguna/Reuters
Heading for trouble in Sudan
[i-Sudan's Bashir soon to salute to the ICC?]
Judges at the International Criminal Court have decided to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, brushing aside diplomatic requests to allow more time for peace negotiations in the conflict-riddled Darfur region of his country, according to court lawyers and diplomats.
It is the first time the court has sought the detention of a sitting head of state, and it could further complicate the tense, international debate over how to solve the crisis in Darfur.
Ever since international prosecutors began seeking an arrest warrant last year, opponents have pressed the United Nations Security Council to use its power to suspend the proceedings. But a majority of Council members have argued that the case should go forward, saying Mr. Bashir has not done enough to stop the bloodshed to deserve a reprieve.
Many African and Arab nations counter that issuing a warrant for Mr. Bashir’s arrest could backfire, diminishing Sudan’s willingness to compromise for the sake of peace. Others, including some United Nations officials, worry that a warrant could inspire reprisal attacks against civilians, aid groups or the thousands of international peacekeepers deployed there. (Full)
While Sudan still plays down reports on al-Bashir arrest decision for the moment, there was plenty of press in the past months where Sudan claimed indicting their president would risk bloodshed.
And then there is of course the statement of the UN envoy to Sudan saying Bashir's government warned the UN of "serious consequences" for its staff and facilities if the International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant.
This resulted in the Sudanese government denying such threats (Full), and the UN denying it was to evacuate its staff in view of the upcoming arrest warrants (Full).
All politics and maneuvering... My predictions:
- Sudan will not surrender its president to the ICC
- UN and the powers-that-be will further pressure Sudan
- Masses will come onto the streets in all major cities, attacking UN and NGO facilities, causing the latter to seriously reduce staff.
- Darfur rebels and South Sudanese fractions will see a potential vacuum, and will renew military actions.
- ..causing the Sudanese military to respond more violently than before
- UN and NGOs evacuate
- ...giving either warring fractions enough space to do whatever they want in a free-for-all genocide.
- and by the time all of this is finished with a political compromise, Sudan will have one million people less. And the world will have one more genocide to justify.
But that is just me and my cynical mind, of course.
Picture courtesy AFP/Getty Images Read the full post...
Did we forget these humanitarian crisis?
[i-sudanese girl]
With the international (press) spotlights on Gaza, one would forget these -ongoing- humanitarian hotspots:
Sri Lanka:
The Red Cross appealed to both the Tamil Tigers and the government to allow what they estimated at 250,000 people trapped in the northern war zone to flee to safety.
"People are being caught in the crossfire, hospitals and ambulances have been hit by shelling and several aid workers have been injured while evacuating the wounded," according to the ICRC.
"It's high time to take decisive action and stop further bloodshed," he said, warning there could be "countless victims" if nothing is done.
The government has called on civilians to gather in a small "safe zone" on the edge of rebel territory, but a health official said at least 300 civilians were wounded and scores feared killed by army artillery shells fired into the zone. (Full)
Somalia:
The United Nations will be forced to end food distribution in Somalia unless armed groups stop attacking U.N. staff, the World Food Programme (WFP) said.
Humanitarian workers have been targeted during a two-year-old rebellion by Islamist insurgents that has killed more than 16,000 civilians and uprooted one million others. Four WFP staff have been killed since August last year. (Full)
Kenya and Horn of Africa:
Large areas of Kenya and the Horn of Africa are facing "an exceptional humanitarian crisis" that requires "urgent food assistance and other interventions to combat high malnutrition levels", according to the IFRC's appeal.
The combination of high world food prices and a crippling drought is endangering as many as 20 million people in both rural and urban communities. (Full)
Sudan:
Clashes in Southern Sudan's Warrap state have left 41 people dead and displaced hundreds of others from their homes in the past two months. (Full)
Sudan's government accused Darfur rebels of planning to launch attacks if President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is indicted for war crimes and said that would bring a new round of bloodshed. (Full)
Philippines:
Flooding in some parts of Mindanao has exacerbated the humanitarian situation on the island after nearly five months of deadly fighting between government troops and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Floods affected 40,000 people. More than 300,000 people remain displaced in the conflict-affected areas, many of them living in shelters or with relatives outside government-designated evacuation sites. (Full)
News discovered via AidNews
Picture courtesy Finbarr O'Reilly (Reuters)
11 million people on the run in Central and East Africa alone
Congolese on the run[i-Congolese on the run]
A sad start-of-year balance: violence, wars, political turmoil and natural disasters forced 11 million people in Central and East Africa out of their homes.
9.1 million became refugees within their own country ("internally displaced persons (IDPs) in humanitarian lingo). Half the IDPs 4,576,250 are in Sudan. 2,700,000 of them in the war-torn Darfur region.
1.8 million people were forced to seek haven outside their homelands, most of them hosted by Chad, Tanzania and Kenya.
Displacement in the region is triggered mainly by armed conflicts and natural disasters such as floods and drought. Frequently, several of these hit a country at the same time, creating complex humanitarian emergencies. Scarcity of resources, limited access to land and inconclusive peace and reconciliation processes create multiple challenges blocking the return home.
Humanitarian response to both acute and long-term displacement is often hampered by lack of access to the affected people due to ongoing conflict and persistent high insecurity including the targeting of humanitarian workers. (Full)
There are a total of 26 million internally displaced people throughout the world, and approximately 13.9 million refugees are forced to live in a country other than their own. (Full)
Picture courtesy ABCNews
MSF's Top Ten Humanitarian Crisis
At the end of the year, MSF (Doctors Without Borders) used to publish their "top 10 under-reported crisis". Now, their hit list is called plainly "Top 10 Humanitarian Crisis".
No "under-reporting" this year. Guess there were sufficient press spotlights turned to the humanitarian aspect of any crisis:
Myanmar's cyclone emergency was an excellent opportunity for the West to wedge some cracks in the Generals' totalitarian regime and the press was present.
Zimbabwe got its fair share due to the West's tendency to collectively sideline 'no-longer-wanted' leaders from African countries. And the press was present.
Somalia got floodlights due to the piracy plague. Sexy subject, and the press was present.
I still think a full blown crisis was avoided in DRC when the media jumped onto the plane direction Goma real fast. Fast enough for the different warring parties to sit around the table and go chest-thumping. A million people affected by the crisis.
So no "under-reporting" this year. MSF still wanted their top 10. And no surprises as to who got listed. Some of them have been in there for years: Somalia, Ethiopia, DRC, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Iraq. With a special emphasis for TBC/HIV co-infection and malnutrition. (Full)
Picture courtesy Sven Torfinn (MSF) Read the full post...
Rumble: Darfur Now!
"Darfur Now" is not just a factual movie. It is an in-your-face call to action for people everywhere to help end the crisis in Darfur. For the first time in history, the US Government has declared a genocide while it is ongoing, and that is a bad sign.
The movie shows the struggles and achievements of six very different individuals who bring to light the situation in Darfur and the need to get involved:
A UCLA graduate in Los Angeles (CA), a Darfurian woman who joined the rebel forces, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, a UN humanitarian on the ground in Sudan, an internationally known actor and activist, and finally to a community leader in a West Darfur refugee camp.
The film portrays the heroic efforts of six people responding to a humanitarian tragedy unfolding before our eyes. (More)
The official trailer can also be found on YouTube
If you have a high bandwidth Internet connection, you can watch the full movie online here.
More on The Road about Darfur, Sudan and genocide
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Rumble: The river Nile, a darned good place to land a plane
Plane in the Nile[i-Plane in the Nile]
In The Road's Ebook short story "Italians, the Art of Flying and the Laws of Probability", I quoted an anecdote by a friend describing how a pilot once mistook the river Nile near Khartoum for the runway, and landed the plane onto, err.. INto the river.
Just by coincidence I came across pictures of this incident. According to airliners.net, it happened on Sept 10 1982. The plane was a Sudan Air 707 purchased from Air Lingus (ST-AIM - cn 19410/599). The pilot mistook the moonlit river for the nearby runway.
Plane in the Nile[i-Plane in the Nile]
Soon after this accident, staff of Sudan Airways tried to remove the company's titles and logos but could not get any closer to the tail. While the plane rested on a sandbank on the river, locals stripped it bare within days after the accident.
Plane in the Nile[i-Plane in the Nile]
More posts on the road about flying, aircraft and airports.
Data and pictures courtesy airliners.net, Chris Wells and Linze Folkeringa
Rumble: "Saying Good-bye Sudan, Good-Bye Darfur"
link[i-link] Colleague and fellow blogger Worldman is retiring. In this must-read post, Peter is saying good-bye from Darfur and Sudan.
He writes: "I have been living and working here for 4 years. In a few days I will leave. It is very hard to go. But a big part of my heart will stay behind."
Why do I call it "a must-read" post? Because it shows the heart and the essence of an aid worker.
