Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

With the expulsion and closures of 16 of aid groups the population of Darfur grows increasingly desperate. Several issues worry the remaining aid workers and the people of Darfur as well.

• Speculators have predicted that water supplies may diminish in a matter of weeks. All water is pumped to the surface from wells and boreholes, and, without the fuel supplies provided by aid groups, they will soon cease to operate.


• Many health clinics have closed and outbreaks have already begun. Diarrhea is speading in Zam Zam camp and meningitis has infected the people in the Kalma camp.


• Food was already a scarce commodity, but now, with the expulsion of many groups, the World Food Program (WFP) is left alone to take on the difficult task of feeding millions of people.


• People are fleeing the region, yet again, leading the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS) to declare the food security of both Sudan and Bar El Ghazal under imminent threat.

In the light of these circumstances, things are projected to get increasingly violent in the region. On March 14, 26 people died in the Southern region of Darfur. Conflict broke out between the Hibaniya and Al-Falata tribes over cattle raiding. Conflicts of this type are believe to flare up all over Darfur as supplies quickly disappear. In a region rich in weapons and desperate people and lacking law and order, deaths can only be projected to increase until stability and security is brought to the people.