'Security more vital than food'

2005-08-25 10:59

Geneina - Frustrated leaders of a camp for displaced people in western Sudan told the United Nations refugee chief that security in the camp was a greater concern than even food, which was scarce.

Antonio Guterres, UN high commissioner (UNHCR) for refugees, was welcomed on Wednesday by a group of singing children at Riad, a camp of about 12 000 people displaced by the more than two years of violence in Darfur province.

Inside a thatched building with half walls, Guterres sat on woven mats with about 40 men and women camp leaders and promised them their security - both at the camps and at the homes to which they may one day return.

Protection a top priority

"For us, protection is the key issue," said Guterres, who was on his first trip to Darfur as part of a 10-day tour of camps for displaced people and refugees in west and south Sudan, Chad and Kenya.

He called Sudan "the biggest displacement problem in Africa" but admitted the situation was not secure enough in Darfur for the displaced to return home.

"This is not your home," he said. "But we need to create a situation where you can return if you choose. When there is peace, when there is security, people can make their choices."

Nearly two million people live in crowded camps in Darfur after fleeing their villages because of fighting between rebels from black African tribes and an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed.

Another 200 000 people from Darfur have fled into Chad, where Guterres will visit on Thursday.

While the scale of the Janjaweed's violence against the villages has decreased since the African Union (AU) sent troops to the areas, many of the displaced still complain of attacks when they leave the relative protection of the camps or towns, particularly women who go out alone to gather firewood for cooking.

"We cannot even go beyond the town," one man complained. "Men are killed if they go out. Women are beaten or raped if they even go over that hill. We want security first, then food and other things."

Increased security patrols

Guterres said he had agreed with AU officials on Wednesday that they would set up a post in the camp and increase patrols on the outside, mainly during the hours when women went to collect wood.

The UNHCR was particularly concerned about the violence against women and children, and had initiated a number of programmes to help increase their safety and self-sufficiency.

"Their situation is unbearable to anyone with normal feelings," he said.

After visiting Chad, he heads to southern Sudan to assess preparations for the return of refugees, including rehabilitation of schools and hospitals and de-mining of roads. He will also visit a refugee camp in Kenya and meet senior government officials there.

Guterres said his talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and other officials proved that the government "understands the importance of return".

- AP