Farchana Kounungu Potter, Kounungu Mahmata Water, Toulum Photos: Lolín Menéndez rscj / JRS

This April I received an invitation from Jesuit Refugee Service to visit the Sudanese refugees from Darfur in Eastern Chad. I responded willingly to the request to conduct an assessment mission, for this meant that I would be again among refugees, putting at their service the experience gathered through many years spent in Africa, and especially as Education Resource Person for JRS. The findings of the mission would assist JRS and Caritas Chad (SECADEV = Secours Catholique et Developement) to design a program in education and social services to be implemented jointly by the two organizations. Now, one month later, the intensity of the experience still burns in my heart. I can truly say that in all my years with JRS, never had I encountered a situation so difficult and so challenging.

A journey by road from the capital, N’Djamena, sets the scene: after a few kilometers of tarmac, the road dips suddenly into sand, and so it continues to the destination: the town of Abeché and the refugee sites beyond the town. The landscape, already desert around the city, only turns more so with each kilometer traveled. An occasional wadi lightens the landscape, but even the few trees that grow here and there offer no significant shelter for the sun and the temperatures that hovered over 40° during our stay. Caravans of camels led by white-turbaned men, strings of donkeys carrying on their backs colorfully clad women and children in search of water, and men in flowing robes riding strong horses were the only points of color in an otherwise monochromatic landscape of earth tones. However, this biblical scene unveiled quickly one of the worst humanitarian tragedies of our days.

More than 100,000 refugees from Sudan have crossed the border into Chad. From JRS Dispatches: “The conflict has been marked by a struggle for land as the Sahara desert creeps south. Rebel groups are allegedly fighting the army and its Arab militias to force the Government to do more for the economic and social development of Darfur. They accuse the government forces and their allies of violating earlier truces and arming the Arab militants against the local 'black' population, while international relief agencies have complained about continuing obstacles in gaining access to government-controlled areas of Darfur. According to relief agencies and human rights groups, pro-government forces have conducted a "scorched earth" policy which has forced many black communities to abandon their villages and their land. The government has denied this. However, there have been almost daily reports of atrocities against civilians.”

The people with whom we talked (through our escorts or other translators) tell the same basic story: a raid at dawn by mounted gunmen (the Janjawîd, “men with guns on horseback” who are the government’s proxy fighters), helicopters coming later to finish the survivors, Janjawîd coming back to loot and burn, backed up by helicopters or Antonov bombers… These refugees come from different areas of Darfur, not just from border towns and villages. They had no answers as to “Why is this happening? except “Because we are black”. It is significant that this is not a religious conflict, as all involved are Muslim, but an ethnic one between Arabs (those whose grandparents or parents were born in Saudi Arabia) and blacks. When we asked some refugees if they had recent news of home, we were told that “there is no one over there now so we get no news”. Those with whom we spoke said that they did not want to return home, “not now”, “not yet”…”some day, Inshallah” (God willing.) Most NGO workers with whom we talked predict that the situation will last another 12-18 months, in spite of negotiations that have taken place.

Enormous Challenges:

What did I see? Silent suffering, a lot of patience on the part of the refugees… disorganization and lack of coordination among the humanitarian agencies, a feeling of powerlessness in face of the enormity of the task…. an international community that seems not to be present efficiently and effectively, not to mention compassionately, in this very critical and difficult situation…

The panorama in Eastern Chad is not that of a “typical” refugee situation, where new arrivals are registered in transit centers and eventually moved into camps. Most of the refugees in this area are not in camps. Only a small number, about 20% has been registered and settled. Refugees live in frail shelters in sand and sun along the border, in places where temperatures sometimes reach 45°, but which easily dip as low as 5° at night. Those who fled during the last months of 2003 were able to cut grass and to construct shelters in the vicinity of local villages. Yet, they are too close to the border as the Janjawîd are a real threat even when on Chadian soil. This was the case in Mahamata, where we had to leave quickly as the Janjawîd were reported in the nearby wadi. At the border town of Tiné, mile upon mile of refugee shelters stretch in a long line, facing a town that has grown suddenly from the riches of being a stop in a trade route from Kuwait and Dubai, a town where you can buy anything from satellite dishes to French perfume…..

The three camps (Farchana, Kounungu and Toulum) that we visited had been intended to hold no more than 5,000-7,500 refugees each. However, the population in all three camps has reached numbers well over the estimated capacity. Tents are parked in orderly rows, not at all in the style of a traditional village, underlining even visually the artificiality of the situation. The tents, made of heavy tarp anchored by metal stakes, are set up for the refugees. They are not given plastic sheeting nor are they made responsible for construction of their own dwellings, since it is not possible to find poles and other supports for the sheeting. The tents are set up in clusters, or “ilôts”, of 8 tents for 5 persons each, with a common latrine. People who are not related are sometimes forced to live together so as to fill the estimated number per tent. This presents a serious cultural issue. But some clusters are already beginning to look like “villages”, with mud and thatch walls next to some tents, or outside kitchens added on by the refugees who have lived in the camps for a longer time.

The problem of water is most acute, everywhere. In the border sites, refugees must share the scarce supply of the local population. Sites for camps have been determined according to an unrealistic estimate of available water. The situation becomes more urgent daily, as the wells that have been dug yield only smalls amounts. The bulk has to be trucked from a considerable distance by old tankers which constantly break down. Already some nearby villages are experiencing water shortages because “their” water is being given to the refugees…and thus tension escalates. In one camp people were receiving only 5 liters per person per day… for personal needs, for cooking, for the animals.

At the moment of the visit, the rations given to refugees were under 2,000Kcals daily. Some non food items were also distributed, but no soap. World Food Program (WFP), the UN agency responsible for provision of food in emergencies, acknowledges that the pipeline has broken down, and that there is not enough food stockpiled either in N’Djamena or in Abeché. Refugees had not received full amounts at the last distribution. In one camp, distribution is long overdue, and there was great tension when we visited, as hunger grew daily. The roads, already difficult to negotiate, will become impassable once the rains start in July. The international community has been alerted to the seriousness of this situation from the onset of the emergency, but no significant and practical steps have been taken to put in place the measures needed to provide the refugees with the protection, food and water that should be provided by humanitarian agencies. The “window of opportunity” for the stockpiling of provisions before the rains begin is closing down rapidly.

Another problem that looms large is that of firewood. There is talk of promoting the use of “improved cookers”, but even these burn a quantity of wood or grass. The degradation of an impoverished environment by the 100,000+ refugees and the local population is already noticeable. Appropriate measures must be put in place immediately, and people must be sensitized to ecological issues- a daunting task when survival is at stake. Refugees cut any branch or twig that is available, and the few trees and bushes around the camps are neither sufficient nor will last much longer. This problem appears to be relegated to the background, perhaps because it is a seemingly insoluble one in a desert region.

Although some refugees managed to come across with some food, and some have been able to earn some money by working for the local population, their food reserves are almost finished, water is terribly scarce, and the environment is already showing the effects of drastic overuse. Many of the refugees settled along the border have decided, on their own, to move to the relative safety of camps. They have donkeys, horses and camels to carry their belongings, or money for a place in a truck. Each camp is now besieged by large numbers of “spontanés”. These refugees state that they have come to the camps because at the border they receive no food rations or medical care, because they must compete for water with the local population, because they cannot find firewood, because they feel insecure out in the open…. but there is speculation among NGOs about pressure put on by local authorities for the refugees to move away from the border areas so as not to attract further incursions from the Janjawîd into Chadian territory. These unexpected arrivals are putting great pressure on the camps, making the scarcity of water and the break in the food pipeline even more critical. The situation everywhere is extremely volatile, as registered refugees see these “newcomers” as threats to their rations of food and water. Personnel from various NGOs have expressed fears that when distributions take place those who are not registered will react violently if they do not also receive rations. .

Staff from projects run by Medecins sans Frontières reported that although the general health seems good and few children show signs of malnutrition, the health situation will deteriorate rapidly with the rains. Water-borne diseases may become rampant because the use of latrines is negligible, and there is animal and human waste all over the camps. Many animals have died because of lack of water and some illnesses. MSF also noted that the level of frustration and aggressiveness among refugees is rising rapidly.

And there is Chad itself… landlocked, underdeveloped, with an infrastructure that is still suffering from recent wars. It would take about three weeks for food to arrive in the country from ports in West Africa, plus several days to transport it to the eastern region. The lorries available for this job are ancient, the roads, daunting. And then, there is the greatest challenge: the desert itself with all its harshness, yet which is now ”home”, for the foreseeable future. Chad, eastern Chad: the wounded heart of Africa.

Seeds of hope:
There are reasons for hope, even in these most difficult circumstances. One could not but notice the seeds and signs that are present in this most difficult situation.

There is “something”, a small beginning is in place in each camp with regards to education, be it a list of children, a roster of teachers, manuals rescued from the a looted school and offered for photocopying, a shelter or two already up, all of this in camps which are still at a “first level” of intervention with regards to emergency. There are lists of prospective teachers, among them several women, people who are known to the local community. Some teachers are willing to start educational activities under a tree (if there is one) in order to bring the children together, review and get them ready for the opening of school. Several spoke of their hope to receive “something that will last”, to use this time of exile to receive a formation that they will “carry back” with them to Sudan. Parents and teachers in the three camps insisted that the program followed be that of Sudan so that the children would not be eventually penalized by a change in syllabus. They are determined and eager that their children benefit as soon as possible from the normalcy of a school routine, and that the school program not follow the Chadian school calendar because “our children have already missed too much school”. Simple structures (plastic sheeting and poles) are being set up in each camp, and some school furniture will be made locally. It was indeed impressive to see such interest and initiatives already in place.

The courage of the refugees themselves gave me great hope. I marveled at the enormous patience at the congested water points…but I also wondered, how long will it last? The long lines of jerrycans, sometimes 4-5 deep and God knows how long, dispel any biblical overtones of this “waiting at the well”.

There were two women making clay pots in one camp. I rejoiced that these women carry knowledge, a wealth inside themselves that enables them to live from the work of their hand. But, I also wondered, must they also make a hard choice: to use the ration of water to work for a living, or to use the water for life, for drinking and cooking?

And I cannot forget the woman who gave me her most beautiful smile when I asked if I could take her picture.

I rejoiced at the witness of the Church of Chad, mobilized in response to the appeal of the Archbishop: “There are brothers and sisters who are dying in our arms, and we as church must do something for them”, regardless of ethnicity or religion.

I am also heartened by the response of JRS International, willing to send a team to support and build up the capacity of SECADEV to ensure the coordination of education in the camps, with an attitude of “we must decrease and they must increase”, for however long the team is needed, ready to hand over to the local church when the moment comes..

The attitude of my RSCJ sisters in Chad their concern for the refugees, their interest in this mission, the company of one of them during the trip, their eagerness to help and to give, out of the smallness of their numbers. all made the words of the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart, “conscious that what we do, we do together” (par.13) , become a reality in this mission,

For all of them, and to each one, I am deeply grateful!

These are but a few glimpses. Nothing can describe the burning heat and the lack of shade…. nor the powerlessness experienced in face of so much need, so much disorganization, such a sense of not being heard or seen by the international community… at a time when the Gospel readings spoke of the Bread of Life, the Living Bread that is “life for the world”.

Gather them, Abba
into your motherly embrace.
For they have no shade
but the shadow
of your wings.