Darfur Update: Not Getting Better

by Michael Bear · 2009-03-11 13:55:00 UTC
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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released the following statistics:

- The sixteen aid agencies affected (thirteen international aid agencies expelled, three national aid agencies disbanded) together employed 40% of all aid workers in Darfur.

- Because of these expulsions, 1.5 million people will no longer have access to health and nutrition services; the water supply and sanitation services for 1.16 million people will soon be interrupted (including 1,007,000 people in Darfur); and 1.1 million people will no longer receive food distributions.

[The OCHA report also includes a detailed breakdown of humanitarian gaps in Darfur.]

The Sudanese Government insists that it can provide all necessary essential services in Darfur.   (A moment for the laughter to stop.)  The UN's top humanitarian official says, in so many words, bullshit:

"We do not, as the UN system, the NGOs do not ... and the [Sudanese] government does not have the capacity to replace all the activities that have been going on, certainly not on any short- or medium-term basis."

Oh, and a meningitis outbreak in some of the larger camps threatens "tens of thousands of people".

Speaking of which, an excellent IRIN article points out that the Sudanese Government's decision to expel NGOs was motivated in part by a desire to break-up the camps in Darfur:

"Some of the larger camps – grim settlements with only basic services in baking heat – house up to 90,000 people. 'They [the government] see them as the backers of the rebel movements,' one aid worker added. 'They cannot directly force people to leave, so they are doing the next best thing: making life intolerable so that people have to go.'"

(Aid agencies in Chad are bracing for a possible influx of refugees from Darfur.)

As my genocide co-blogger Michelle posted yesterday, four UNAMID peacekeepers were wounded in an ambush on Monday.

According to Rob Crilly, reporting from Khartoum, the US Embassy has "authorized the voluntary evacuation of non-essential staff".

As Rob explains:

"The statement included a reference to security risks but don't be fooled. This is the end of any pretence that there could be business as usual with a head of state indicted for war crimes.The question now is what Sudan will do in response. I'm told more aid agencies are being "investigated" for colluding with the ICC and more expulsions are expected. The diplomatic community is also braced for receiving its marching orders. France, America and Britain are the most likely to be targeted and it seems that the US is getting in its retaliation early."

Good times.

[Women outside of Kalma camp in Darfur - Photo from nrc_roald's photostream on flickr]

Michael Bear
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