By John Knight
On August 14, the BBC reported that two UNAMID police officers were abducted by gunmen in Darfur. It is the most recent incident in what the article calls “a wave of kidnappings involving foreign aid workers” in Sudan. Most kidnappings appear to be for money but the motives behind this weekend’s abductions remain unclear.
Nonetheless, the incident highlights the tensions surrounding UNAMID, one of the largest aid organizations in Darfur. In July, UNAMID took into its protection six members of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), who are wanted by the Sudanese government for their involvement in violent clashes between the SLA and the Liberty Justice Movement (LJM) in the Kamal refugee camp. The camp is one of the largest in Darfur, where many members of both the LJM and the SLA reside. Violence broke out between the two groups over the LJM’s willingness to participate in peace talks with the Sudanese government, which the SLA did not feel were adequately representative.
In response to UNAMID’s protection of the SLA members, the Sudanese government banned UNAMID from the Kamal refugee camp along with twelve other aid groups, leaving refugees without food or medical access. The Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) and others are now concerned that the lack of humanitarian aid may trigger a health crisis in the camp. If so, life for refugees might begin to resemble Benjamin Bol Manyok’s account of his time in the Jebel Aulia refugee camp. Mayok’s story is featured in Out of Exile: The Abducted and Displaced People of Sudan, where he recounts his experiences in the camp when aid groups were forced out by the Sudanese government.
“With nobody looking at us here, the government took the opportunity to pass a new law. Now everyone from outside must have permits to get into camps like this one. It makes it even harder for people to come and help. Basically, these were once camps that were run by aid organizations, but now they are government camps. It has become really hard for organizations to enter…. Now the food has really stopped. We don’t get food for free anymore. Classes and waterpumps, yes. But no food. And the government treats us with talk. They have nothing for us.”
