Shots Fired!

Ok it wasn’t at me or anyone in particular but it sounds dramatic doesn’t it. In the last couple of weeks I been able to join some teams and head out to the field to see the real Darfur. It has been a little surreal to see the pictures that are on the news about Darfur right in front of you. As we drove to the villages that we are working in we pass those that have been abandoned or burned to the ground. At times it is overwhelming when I think about the fear and terror that people must have experienced to make them leave their homes and land and seek out more secure locations for them to camp in until it is safe for them to return.
Almost the same day that I arrived in Darfur, a village that we had been doing food distributions in was attacked and burned. Who did the attacking is such a complicated question that I won’t even begin to get into it now. But yesterday we decided to try to enter that village and see who is there and what is left of the village that once held 5,000 people. So as we started to approach the site we slowed to a crawl turned on our hazard lights and cautiously entered the village. As we started to approach a group we heard two gun shots which brought our vehicles to a stop. But it soon became apparent that the shots were coming from a group of women who where celebrating. So today’s Darfur adventure was not going to be as exciting as I had thought. A group of men approached us smiling and welcoming us which we thought was a good sign – even after the gun shots.They invited us to join them under a tree to meet with them and discuss their situation. The group gathered, AK47’s and all, and told us that just in the last couple of days lorries had been bringing back families and their belonging to the village to start again. We were the first NGO that they had seen since the village burned and were happy to hear that we will try to bring food and shelter back to help them.

It was encouraging to see families return and hear that more are on their way however I also know that there are just as many leaving their homes as returning to them. There seems to be this ever changing movement of people from one area to another as they try to stay out of harm’s way. As the rainy season approaches this means that another crop will not be planted which results in another year of food rations and assistance from Aid organizations. Please continue to pray for Darfur. I know that it comes and goes in the media spot light but I promise that the terror and conflict continue.