Canadian Pride

So I was getting my usual news fix this morning when I came across a very interesting article. The great thing about reading the news here everyday is that most of it will directly influence my daily tasks. So I read this one article that Bashir (Sudan's President)was upset with the US because while he was in New York for the UN meetings his movements were limited to New York and 25km outside of the city limits. So his response to this restriction was to limit Americans to Khartoum and 25km outside of Khartoum limits. I'm not sure what this will really look like. I guess this happened a couple of years ago but it only lasted a month. Bashir promises that he will not reverse his restrictions this time. So our expat team in Darfur consists of one Ethiopian, one Kenyan, one Canadian (that's me) and five Americans. To travel into Darfur area you have to apply and get approved for a travel permit. So we were planning to get a permit for a guy traveling out to Darfur tomorrow and because he is American he was refused. Who knows what will happen with the American's that are already in Darfur but I'm sure we will find out soon enough. There is always enough drama in Sudan to keep things exciting. But I can say this much - I love being Canadian.

Ramadan

It’s the first day of Ramadan. This 30 day Muslim holiday has come and gone in my life for 28 years but this year I think it will be hard to ignore. During Ramadan Muslims fast during daylight hours from all food and drink and then once the sun goes down the parties begin. Devout Muslims take this month as a time for prayers and studying the Koran. The less devout Muslims take it as a time to be lazy, get out of work, have a bad attitude and then to party and eat a lot at night. People tell me that everything changes during Ramadan. I’m not too sure what to expect but already I’m not happy that I can’t get a cinnamon roll or a coffee whenever I want. It’s almost like being back in Nyala. What is the point of being in Khartoum if you can’t get a cinnamon roll?

I am hosting the SP auditor for the next couple of days. Usually an audit is stressful and a frustrating experience. But this guy is an encourager and I love having him around. But my time is starting to get crunched and the pressure is building. Too much to do before I head home in 24 days! I hope to head back out to Nyala on Wednesday so I can wrap up month end there. So there is lots of work ahead of me but I hope it will make the time fly.

Language Lesson

I am learning Arabic slower than I learned Portuguese. I have tried to arrange some lessons with some of our staff but nothing has materialized yet. The Arabic words used to explain this procrastination I have learned. This phrase is probably the most used phrase here in Sudan. It is the first thing I learned to say - before thank you, before hello, before anything else, this phrase has become a part of my daily activities. What kind of phrase could be so important and so representative of a culture you ask? It's rather simple and I wanted to take the time to share it. Not only will you feel like you have learned a little bit of Arabic but it may revolutionize your out look on life.

This phrase is .... insha'llah - the translation of this is 'if it's God's will'

You can also put it together with bukrah, which means tomorrow.

There are many different scenarios that this can be response for. Here are some examples that I have heard used here in Sudan.

- Work starts at 8:30 tomorrow so please come to the office and we will start the day.
- Response - insha'llah
- I need you to organize five guys to get this truck loaded and sent out by 11:00.
- Response - insha'llah
- Will you go and purchase this list of items at the market for the office?
- Response - insha'llah

To have it used with 'bukrah' is may sound like this:

- Can you get this report done ASAP so we can send it off?
- Response - insha'llah bukrah
- We need to get these supplies inventoried.
- Response - insha'llah bukrah
- Angie when are you going to learn Arabic?
- Response - insha'llah bukrah

So basically this is the best excuse for being unable to accomplish what you have been asked to do because if it doesn't happen, it was not God's will for it to happen. Or if it is something that you don't want to do and are trying to put it off as long as possible you can continue to blame it on God - maybe tomorrow it will be in God's will for it to happen.

So even though as a manager it is a dreaded phrase because really how can you argue with that - but personally it sure is a good excuse to relax a little and see what happens.

Canada Don't Forget Darfur

I found this article and I thought my fellow Canadians would like to hear about the Candian involvement here.


Canadian government don’t care for Sudan’s Darfur: Senators
Thursday 14 September 2006 05:30.
Printer-Friendly version

By Lee Berthiaume

Sept 13, 2006 (OTTAWA) — Lt.-Gen. Roméo Dallaire and Mobina Jaffer accuse the Canadian government of having more interest in the Middle East and Afghanistan than Darfur, but Deepak Obhrai dismisses their remarks as partisan.


Roméo Dallaire"Two Liberal senators have accused the Conservative government of abandoning the people of Darfur by failing to continue Canada’s past active involvement in the region and watching the crisis fester from afar.

Senators Romeo Dallaire and Mobina Jaffer have also accused the current government of having little to no interest in Africa, and will appeal this weekend for Canadians to pressure the government into action.

"There is a trend of this government to get out of Africa," says Lt.-Gen. Dallaire, former commander of a UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda in 1993-1994. "There is a trend not to involve ourselves in Africa."

Approximately 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million others have been displaced since conflict erupted in Sudan’s remote western region in 2003 between rebels, Sudanese government forces and allied militia groups, according to the United Nations.

In May 2005, then-prime minister Paul Martin created a special Darfur advisory team composed of Lt.-Gen. Dallaire, Ms. Jaffer and Ambassador Robert Fowler. The team travelled to the region several times, but was disbanded when the Conservatives came to power in February.

When violence between Israel and Hezbollah exploded into open warfare in July, observers and advocates worried that international efforts in Darfur would again be delayed, and Lt.-Gen. Dallaire says recent funding and humanitarian announcements from governments for Lebanon show the worry was well-founded.

While the international community has pledged more than $1 billion for Lebanon, including $30.5 million from Canada, relief and money for Darfur has not been readily forthcoming. In fact, the African Union, which is policing the area, is understaffed and under funded.

"If they don’t get funding by the end of September, they won’t be able to stay," Lt.-Gen. Dallaire says, noting the AU is looking for a "relatively small" $79 million to bolster its force.

"We’re talking peanuts here, and no one wants to get off the pot, Canada included."

One positive development came two weeks ago when the UN Security Council voted in favour of sending peacekeepers to the region, but the Sudanese government has opposed the move and Lt.-Gen. Dallaire says the international community is not doing enough to pressure the government to accept.

All of this comes as reports indicate the government of Sudan has stepped up the bombing of civilian areas in recent days.

"You’ve got a perfect opportunity for the Sudanese government to feel that the pressure is off," Lt.-Gen. Dallaire says. "We’re letting things fester. We haven’t been pushing the envelope. The [Canadian] government needs to take a far more bellicose position with the Sudanese government."

Ms. Jaffer says Canada was leading the way when it came to Darfur, and now there is a feeling we have abandoned the country as things were being turned around.

"We were really making a difference," she says. "Since this government came to power, we have dropped the ball. I think this is the approach of [Prime Minister Stephen Harper], he’s focused on a few issues. That’s not a way to run a country."

Ms. Jaffer says she has been watching the government’s policies towards not only Lebanon, but also its commitment to Afghanistan, and cannot understand why Darfur, and Africa in general, are not considered priorities.

"I don’t understand why we would be more interested in Afghanistan than Darfur," she says. "Is a black life worth less? We made a promise to these people. We made commitments, we made promises."

Both senators will be taking their message to the public this Sunday during what is being billed as the Global Day for Darfur. Rallies will be held in 22 countries around the world, including four cities in Canada. Lt.-Gen. Dallaire is the keynote speaker in Toronto while Ms. Jaffer will do the same in Vancouver.

Both say they will be directing their messages at Canadians in general, rather than the government, in the hopes of prompting Canadians to pressure the government to take action.

Sudan’s Ambassador to Canada, Faiza Hassan Taha, said in a statement that the embassy did not have enough information about the Global Day for Darfur organizers or their objectives to comment.

She also sent a press release issued by the Sudanese government on Sept. 6 outlining its opposition to the Security Council’s resolution to deploy a UN peacekeeping force to the region as a "violation of its sovereignty" and "willingness to take its full responsibility in Darfur, to provide security and stability."

Days after returning from a donor conference on Lebanon that was held in Sweden, Ted Menzies, parliamentary secretary for International Cooperation, says the Conservative government knows that even as the Middle East exploded into violence, "the other issues in the world have not gone away.

"I don’t think we’ve ever suggested we’re going to lower our support for Darfur," he adds. "The day to come back and re-address Darfur" is in the near future.

Foreign Affairs parliamentary secretary Deepak Obhrai also disputes the senators’ claims, alleging they are partisan. He points to a recent trip to Africa as well as a presentation he made in Darfur as examples of the Conservative government’s commitment to addressing the conflict and Africa in general.

"I wouldn’t put too much credit to what they say," he says. "It’s just that this government is not following Senator Jaffer’s route. [The government’s process] is more effective. The Liberals hadn’t done anything."

Mr. Obhrai says Canada is working through international organizations and has repeatedly stated that the Sudanese government must accept a peacekeeping force and the African Union force.

He will not say what contributions, if any, Canada will make to the peacekeeping force because it is too early, but that the government is not pulling out of Africa.

"We will continue engaging Africa," he says.

Oh Transition

Greetings from Khartoum! Yes it is true - I am sitting in Khartoum enjoying the good food and AC rather than sweating in Nyala with the 5 different kinds of starch. How could I be so blessed you may ask? Well once again my position has changed. There must be something about me that says that things must change when I arrive. So the finance lady that is based in Khartoum is leaving earlier than expected which means that I will now be overseeing the finances for all of North Sudan rather than just Darfur. I'm not too sure how that will look exactly but I hope that I will still be able to live in Nyala rather than Khartoum. So I am up here for a couple of weeks for the hand over and to train our national finance person so that things are operating well enough for me to go back.

With all the uncertainty in Darfur it's nice to be out of the tension and stress but I do miss it already. There is a certain energy and excitement that you get out of being based in a field office with 70 staff. You feel like you are a part of things. Khartoum seems so far away from that world. There are some nicer luxuries that I enjoy here but I wouldn't trade the field life for a few comforts. So hopefully this will go well and I can head out back to my big Sudanese family.

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.

Sad Goodbye's

I have been very fortunate over the last couple of years to make some really great friends with some of the people that I have worked with. It's kind of a strange environment because you get thrown into a work place where you work and live with the same people 24/7 and that makes for great friendships (or sometimes not so great friendships) to be formed. I was very lucky to arrive in Darfur and join a great group of people. Sarah became a good friend of mine and we had lots of fun together. We danced like crazies at the Thrusday night parties and had many conversations full of venting, crying, and excitement. The problem though is that contracts end and people move on. So yesterday we had to say goodbye but knowing that one day we will see each other again. So life continues here but with a lot less of Sarah's laughter and daily friendship in it. I wish her all the best and I can't wait to meet here again in some foreign land.