AFRICA: UN’s top humanitarian official calls for urgent aid for three states

Photo: H. Caux/UNHCR

Refugees from Sudan's Darfur region attend class under a tree in Chad

NEW YORK, 10 April 2007 (IRIN) - At the current rate, if the situation in Sudan’s Darfur region continues, over half the population in the region could be displaced within the next 18 months, John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned.

During his briefing to the UN Security Council on his trip to Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR), Holmes spoke of his meetings with government leaders in all three countries, where he stressed the responsibility of each government to protect its population.

Humanitarian efforts on the part of the international community need to be accelerated in order to ease the burden of the refuges, displaced people and the local inhabitants whose resources are stretched, he said.

CAR

"Humanitarian organisations estimate that one million Central Africans, around one-fourth of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance … and it is clear that … the humanitarian response is still insufficient," said Holmes, citing the lack of infrastructure, including roads, as one of the reasons for the delay in providing aid.

"There's an urgent need in the CAR, where tools and seeds are needed for the people living in the bush. There are sufficient funds available to do that. The problems are not so much funding as infrastructure and logistics in a very difficult part of the world where there are virtually no roads, and it's hard to get there, to find people. They are not in camps, they are scattered all over the bush," he added.

But the solution for CAR – as with other countries in the region – is two-pronged: dealing with the political situation and security issues.

After meeting civilians in the CAR bush, Holmes said that it was not just rebels that were responsible for the insecurity, but also the CAR Armed Forces (FACA) and the Presidential Guard. Part of a plan would be to get the groups to consent to a ceasefire in order to start negotiations for a durable political solution, he said.

Better security is necessary, especially on the borders with the Sudanese region of Darfur, and a professional army could help protect the civilian population and respect their human rights.

"Another possibility could be to demand that the African Union and CEMAC (Central African Economic and Monetary Community) look into the possibility of reinforcing the mandate of [their] 380 FOMUC soldiers. This could include, for example, monitoring military activities in the north and the surrounding borders," said Holmes.

Chad

The humanitarian response must be stronger, faster, and more strategic

The situation in Chad has "significantly degraded" since the council visited the country in 2006 according to Holmes, especially in eastern Chad, where the number of displaced rose from 50,000 to 140,000 in just a few months.

Those in refugee and IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps have been forcibly recruited into the fighting, including children, said Holmes. Chadian locals have been hosting Darfur refugees and Chadian IDPs, and this has stretched their natural resources, especially water, to the limit.

"The humanitarian response must be stronger, faster, and more strategic," Holmes told the council. He envisions a long-term plan that will directly help those in need, prioritising the relocation of the refugee camps that are currently exposed to attacks.

The UK ambassador to the UN, Emyr Jones Parry, agreed. "We need to see the adequate protection of civilians and above all sanctuary for those in UN camps," he said after the Holmes briefing, referring to the attacks last week in the villages of Tiero and Marena that killed at least 65 people and wounded 70, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR.

Holmes met with Chadian Prime Minister, Delwa Coumakoye, where he stressed the urgency for "the Chadian government to begin to fight [those committing crimes with] impunity, and offer, as it is necessary, protection to the Chadian people and the refugees in eastern Chad." While Coumakoye agreed in principle, he reiterated to Holmes that a robust police force would be acceptable, but not a peacekeeping force.

"An international security presence is … as I understand it and as it was indicated in the Secretary-General's report on the subject, indispensable to assure the protection of refugees and displaced persons in eastern Chad," said Holmes.

Holmes has proposed an urgent 90-day plan to be implemented before the rainy season, to offer aid to the people hardest hit by the violence. Currently the UN appeal for Chad has only received 23 percent of the US $174 million needed.

"Signs of optimism in Chad? I did not see signs of optimism in Chad. I think the problems there remain very serious and are getting worse," said Holmes.

Darfur

Photo: Sky Wheeler/IRIN

Sir John Holmes (second from left) in Juba, capital of southern Sudan, during his field mission in March

"One of the saddest facts of the [last] three years … is that the people who were in the camps then are still there today, no doubt beginning to lose hope of ever being able to return to their homes and former lives," said Holmes, during his briefing on Darfur. He spoke of his visits to the camps, and of stories he had heard such as the rape of two young girls by police officers.

"As I walked through As Salaam camp near El Fasher, in North Darfur, hundreds of little boys and girls trailed in my wake. I couldn't help but wonder how many might yet suffer this horror," he said.

"Acts of brutality which occur every single day force the population to flee their homes," said French Ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere. "We recall that a generalised climate of violence is occurring in Darfur and Sudanese security forces are not taking charge of their responsibility towards civilians," he added.

As the crisis in Darfur continues, Holmes asked how long the humanitarian effort can continue, and for long Darfur bear the human cost. Although Sudan’s President Bashir promised the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in January that humanitarian access would be forthcoming, it remains a factor, according to Holmes.

Holmes was denied access to Kassab camp in the northern part of the region. "One can easily imagine [the] daily struggles faced by aid workers on the ground in Darfur," he commented.

Violence against aid workers is also a major factor, he said, referring to a government raid on an NGO compound in Nyala in January. Twenty people, including NGO workers, UN and AMIS staff, were arrested and abused.

"The humanitarian community feels rightly, doubly victimised in this incident," said Holmes, who noted that while he asked for charges to be dropped against the workers, it "does not look like the symbol of cooperation the international community is expecting”.

The problem lies in the Sudanese government’s belief that aid staff are engaged in "inappropriate 'political' behaviour", whereby aid workers advise civilians of their human rights, Holmes told the council.

If we are going to solve the individual conflicts in a lasting way, we need a regional approach where the issues are tackled as far as possible in parallel

"In other words, giving food and shelter is acceptable, speaking out about violations of humanitarian law is not," he said.

Speaking to reporters, Holmes said no one can be absolved of harming civilians and aid workers: not the rebels, nor the government forces.

"The response I had from rebel leaders was very encouraging as far as it went. They entirely accepted the need to respect humanitarian workers and made promises that whenever they were told about humanitarian vehicles that were stolen they would do their best to get them back," he said.

Translating these promises into reality is another matter, however, as Holmes acknowledged that rebel movements are increasingly fragmented on the ground.

Holmes went on to describe the difficulties in resolving issues that affect Darfur, Chad and CAR.

"If we are going to solve the individual conflicts in a lasting way, we need a regional approach where the issues are tackled as far as possible in parallel."

That said, while the desire to blame the regional crisis entirely on Khartoum may be strong, each individual government needs to be responsible for itself. "In other words, there have to be national solutions in addition to the regional approach," concluded Holmes.

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