Uncertain Days

I'm not too sure how many of you have been keeping up with the news on the situation in Darfur but I thought I would give you my perspective on things here. Well at least how it effecting us here at SP.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution to send up to 24,000 troops into Darfur to protect civilians and to try to see the humanitarian work continue. This is all good in theory and it seems like those that have agreed to this resolution are giving themselves a pat on the back for all their good work but the reality is much different. This resolution is only valid if the Sudanese government allows it to happen. I really don't see this happening. In fact not only is the UN not welcome in Darfur but they have asked the AU (African Union) to remove their troops by the end of September. To replace the AU the GOS (government of Sudan) is sending in their own military to enforce the peace agreement signed earlier this year. I have read opinions that basically the GOS wants to remove the non-signatories of the peace agreement. I think you can understand what that means.

Every different angle that we try and look at with the UN, AU, and GOS we see the result as major fighting and the crisis growing. This could happen in the next few days or it could happen in the next few weeks. One way or another, it's not good. It's difficult for even me sitting in the middle of Darfur to comprehend what could happen. The thing that really hit me today as I have been trying to get my head around it all is how much people will suffer even if they are out of the areas with fighting. Right now more than three million people in Darfur rely on assistance from aid agencies for food. Farmers have been unable to plant their crops due to the fact that it is too insecure to remain in their fields outside of the security of the camps or villages or I have also heard of farmers being harassed and beaten to stop them from producing a crop. This means that there will be a very small harvest this year and a major food shortage next year if there is no security or assistance. There has been an outbreak of cholera and other poor sanitation illnesses have increased because people have been forced to drink accessible ground water that is available in a safe area rather than traveling to cleaner water sources. There is an increase in rapes and malnutrition. And this is just with the threat of fighting breaking out.

If something here does happen the situation will only get worse. If security continues to decline that means that aid agencies will pull out of Darfur all together. Food, medicine, clean water, shelter materials and other basic survival needs will no longer be met. I think that the people that will suffer from the lack of assistance will be greater than the people that will suffer from the actual fighting. That's a tough one to accept. I do not worry about my personal safety. I know that I will be well taken care of by my organization and the UN to ensure that nothing will happen to me. But I'm having a hard time thinking that if we stop operations here what will happen to the 108,000 beneficiaries that we feed every month? What will happen to our national staff that we have to leave behind? This is the stuff that I am wrestling with.

So we sit, wait and try to continue on like normal. We have stopped operations in one major area until things are safe to return there again. Other than that we continue to do the work that we are able to do, pray and watch. Planning for a potential evacuation is something that I have never had to do before and I am learning a lot. But at the same time, everything seems rather normal. I don't write these things to worry you but to raise some awareness about what is happening here and to plead with you to pray for this country.