The Sudanese Tease

One of the greatest abilities that Sudan seems to have is the ability to tease. To say the right things to the right people to diffuse a tense situation and then days or weeks later claim that there was miscommunication and that what was interpreted was not their intention. This is the continual back and forth that has been happening in trying to decide if and how the UN will come in to assist with Darfur. Lately, there has been a lot of pressure on the government to process aid workers papers quicker and with less money and bureaucracy surrounding it all. We have two guys here right now that are still in the middle of their process to get work visas, residency visas, stay visas and travel permits. It has been at least 5 months in this process and until things are completed they can not leave the country and constantly battle with trying to get travel permits extended so they can stay in Darfur. The situation with all this paper work continues to decline. More and more people are trapped in the country unable to leave for an R&R or to go home at the end of their contract. It's one of our biggest frustrations and issues that we deal with on a daily basis. But good news! The government has signed an agreement with the UN to improve this process, and not only that but form a committee to make sure that things continue to stay on track. That will solve the problem! Nothing like more meetings and committees to solve the issues in a government. Here is some of an article written about the agreement.


'The United Nations and Sudan signed a joint communiqué today in which the Government pledged to support, protect and facilitate all humanitarian operations in the strife-torn Darfur region, where an estimated 4 million people now depend on outside aid.

Sudan has committed, among other measures, to extend the current visas and permits for humanitarian workers through next January, and to issue multiple-entry visas to the directors of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their families. It will also fast-track visa applications and customs procedures for UN staff and NGOs.

The communiqué also stipulates that a high-level committee will be set up to monitor and regulate the commitments, and this new grouping will includes representatives of the UN, the Government, NGOs and the international community.'



'The Sudanese government, which has been accused of hindering aid work in Darfur, signed an agreement with the U.N. on Wednesday, reiterating a promise made three years ago to take "fast track" measures to remove bureaucratic obstacles obstructing the world’s biggest humanitarian effort.

Da Silva, Sudan’s U.N. humanitarian coordinator, said he was encouraged because Khartoum spelled out what actions it would take.

"It is very specific, there is no vague language. I can give examples, it says 48 hours to issue visas. Stop, all over. On stay permits, for example, stay permits for the whole period of the moratorium (on free access), instead of every three months that we have today that is always a nightmare," he told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

Explaining his concerns in the sprawling United Nations building in Khartoum, Da Silva said the deal could bring "partial" relief from troubles plaguing the Darfur relief effort, which requires more than 13,000 aid workers.

"It doesn’t deal with other issues that are very important for our operation, like for example, security issues. Of course the situation in Darfur is still very dire when it comes to security issues," he said.'



The next blog that I write I expect it to be about how the government didn't really mean what was agreed upon. How it is once again the west misinterpreting his words and he has no intention to improve the process. The Sudanese tease.

So in looking to the beginning of May when I am supposed to return home, I am trying to get an exit visa and extend my residency and stay visa for when I return in July. The probability of this getting done in the next month is not good. So there are some adjustments that I will have to make in my plans. But I will work around it. I am learning more than ever than my plans are not my own. The government of Sudan owns them and I have no choice but to submit.