Mennonite Central Committee

Darfur: The Refugee Crisis

Valerie Ong, MCC Washington Office
January 2008

The place you called home is destroyed. However, you and your family escape. Your little brother is hurt, but there is no medicine for him. He cries out in pain, but you are not sure if his cries are from the pain from his physical hurt or from the hunger that he feels piercing through his empty stomach. You swallow hard; it keeps getting harder; all you want is some water to quench your thirst. You continue to walk, hoping to cross the border of Sudan into Chad; hoping for shelter from the scorching heat, for food and water, the basic necessities of life. You wonder if these same thoughts are going through the minds of the hundreds of thousands of people who are fleeing Darfur with you.

In 2003, the government of Sudan began a counter-insurgency campaign in response to government-targeted attacks by rebel groups. The government brought in their militia groups, referred to as the Janjaweed, to fight the rebel groups, the largest of which are the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). A conflict soon raged between government-aligned forces and rebels, with the government militia raiding civilians and struggles increasing among the Darfur communities themselves. The causes of the conflict are multiple and complex. Ultimately, the result of the conflict is clear – some 2 million innocent civilians have had to flee their homes.

It has been nearly 4 years since you fled Darfur. You are thankful not to be among the more than 200,000 Darfuris killed in the conflict. You are one of approximately 26,000 refugees in Bahai, a refugee camp in neighboring Chad. Life is difficult; you live in limbo and in constant fear. Conditions are harsh and the basic necessities that you longed for are inadequate. You continue to worry about your family as they search for water, fearing that they might be raped or killed. At the same time, the situation in Darfur deteriorates, preventing you from returning home. Your choices are limited.

The conflict in Darfur has had severe negative effects on Sudan’s neighbors, like Chad. Instead of finding safety, many refugees in Chad find themselves in another unstable and life-threatening situation as the governments of Sudan and Chad point fingers at one another for collaborating with the other country’s rebel groups. In some cases, refugee camps have become targets, caught in yet another escalating war. Moreover, the region’s instability thwarts the access of many humanitarian aid agencies to provide assistance and aid to the refugees.

UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes refers to the situation in Darfur as a political crisis and a political disaster that has generated numerous humanitarian problems. The problems are overwhelming and in abundance. Unfortunately, the humanitarian crisis faced by refugees – issues of security, development, water, and resources – is not receiving adequate attention. We may not know how to stop the crisis but we must not remain idle. Let us not turn our eyes away from those of a refugee child, nor turn our hearts away from the hope of a secure and promising future for the vulnerable. Instead, let us start by taking small steps where we can to work toward providing refugees with access to the simple things that we often take for granted – basic necessities and the opportunity for a life free from violence.

You pray that the warring parties will find a way to make peace. You pray that aid will continue to come. You yearn to return to a safe and stable home with your family. Amidst the chaos and catastrophe, you continue to live daily, holding on to a hope that is unseen.

Valerie Ong is a Legislative Fellow at the MCC Washington Office working on issues related to refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum-seekers.