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Kofi Annan visits a Sudanese refugee camp at Iridimi in eastern Chad.
Photo by RADU SIGHETI
Photo by RADU SIGHETI
AN: What are the latest figures on how many people are suffering in this emergency?
TV: We have more than 1.2 million internally displaced. But in addition to that, we have another million who have felt the consequences of the conflict. So all in all, we are talking about two million people in need of aid.
AN: What are the obstacles to aid distribution in Darfur?
TV: In the past, the major problem was that aid workers did not have any access at all. It was only after we had meetings in Chad in April that the borders were opened, but access was still severely limited. Then the pressure has increased for the (Sudanese) government to ease the restrictions, including things like getting visas for aid workers. There are multiple levels of restrictions. First you need a visa to get into Sudan, and then you need a travel permit to get to Darfur. Then when you get into the region, and the (regional) capital El Fasher, you need another travel permit to get into the field. That has been very difficult to obtain. But this is improving and aid workers are getting visas and travel permits now. It has also been difficult to get custom clearence of vehicles.
AN: Could the United Nations airdrop food supplies once the rainy season blocks road access?
TV: Air drops is something we consider. But to have air drops, you also need people on the ground to take care of it. The U.N. World Food Programme has contingency plans on this issue.
AN: Are the displaced people living with host families or in camps?
TV: Not many people (in Darfur) have been taken into host families. Some have moved in with host families in the Upper Nile region (in southern Sudan), in Malakal city. In Darfur, people are seeking refuge around the cities of Nyala, El Fasher and Jenina, where they are staying in camps set up around the cities. The largest camp in West Darfur is sheltering around 100,000 people. In those situations, you need quite a big capacity to address the displaced peoples' most basic health needs. You need water, which is a major problem, sanitation and shelter to provide cover from the rain. It is an enourmous and a complicated operation.
AN: How long do you expect the humanitarian crisis to last?
TV: The displaced people have already missed one harvest. The fact that they are not able to go home means that they are not able to sow and tend to their fields, and they will lose this harvest as well. We are facing an operation which will last all next year, at least. The way it looks today, it could well last longer. Villages are burnt, there is nothing there. So the displaced people not only need to be able to move back, but they also require aid to rebuild their houses. We are facing a period of about 18 months when aid will be needed, and it could be long term.
AN: What kind of NGOs are operating in Darfur?
TV: The large ones, like MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) and Save the Children UK. There is no point in a small NGO going to these areas. It is so difficult to work there, and there is a screening process by the government in Khartoum.
AN: Does the Khartoum government refuse access to any NGOs because of their ideology or faith?
TV: Norwegian People’s Aid (NPAID) is not welcome by the government. That goes back to their involvement during the (north-south) conflict between the government and the SPLM/A (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army) when NPAID made the decision to coordinate its work with the SPLM. You probably also have other NGOs which they regard as having been partial in the north-south conflict.
AN: How significant were the trips to Sudan by U.N Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell?
TV: Very important. These visits will direct attention to the situation in Darfur in a far more powerful way than before. And they raised the pressure on the government to disarm the Janjaweed militia, and to fulfill their task as a government to give the population the necessary safety and protection.
AN: Some analysts argue that Sudan used delays in the north-south peace talks to evade criticism because the West was reluctant to put pressure on Khartoum during the negotiation process. Do you share that view?
TV: That is a theory I really don’t have much faith in. What was clear was that we wished to keep Darfur outside the negotiations in Kenya. Those negotiations were to solve the north-south conflict, and we wanted to screen that conflict from other conflicts like Darfur. But I don’t think there was a decision not to pressure the government on Darfur because that could interfere with the peace talks in Kenya. The government in Khartoum invested so much political capital in the negotiations that they wished to continue them regardless.
AN: So you don’t believe that the pressure put on Khartoum on Darfur would have been stronger if the north-south negotiations had been concluded earlier?
TV: No, I don’t think so.
AN: There are reports that some people are afraid of receiving aid. Is this true?
TV: Yes, from time to time people say they do not wish to receive aid, mostly non-food items, because they will then attract attacks from the Janjaweed.
AN: Khartoum accuses the Darfur rebel group the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) of attacking aid convoys. Is this true?
TV: The SLA is still active. We have had incidents when they created problems with the railroad (or) obstructed road transport of aid. It is not only the Janjaweed militia.
AN: How is Chad coping with the massive influx of refugees across its borders?
TV: It has been a major strain on the country. I have spoken with the government and visited the refugee camps. The first refugees who arrived were received by host communities, as family links transcend the border. They have done a great job of taking care of the people who arrived. The people of Chad deserve credit for helping the people who came. But Chad is one of the world’s poorest countries. There are limits to how long they can take care of the refugees, and especially when the number is increasing. We are talking about 150,000 to 200,000 refugees. Initially, when there were around 130,000, they could cope, at least for a while.
AN: Is there a risk that the situation will destabilise Chad?
TV: That is part of the problem. The president of Chad has been very worried that the situation could destabilise his regime. His power base is thin, and Chad has had unrest over the years. They are concerned about the cross-border raids, and the 150,000 refugees form a potential recruitment base.
AN: So there is a risk of militias like the Janjaweed forming in Chad?
Yes, there is a danger this could happen, although I cannot say that this is what the Janjaweed want. But the unrest creates problems in a country where stability is fragile.
