Interview with UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland

In an interview with IRIN, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said that the Darfur region of Sudan was one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian crises and that a “scorched-earth” campaign of ethnic cleansing was taking place there. He called for an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access, the restoration of law and order and for prompt and generous donor support. QUESTION: How would you describe the humanitarian situation in Darfur? Answer: This is one of the most forgotten and perhaps most neglected humanitarian crises. We receive reports now on a daily basis from our own people on the ground in Darfur on widespread atrocities and grave violations of human rights against the civilian population. Stopping these attacks against women, children, the displaced and refugees and ensuring their protection is our number one priority. We have also seen an organised campaign of forced depopulation of entire areas that has resulted in the displacement of hundreds and thousands of people, both within Darfur and to neighbouring Chad. Most of our relief efforts are targeting these displaced populations. Linked to that again is something which is undermining our ability to provide assistance to these displaced populations. It is the limitations of our ability to access the estimated one million people affected by the conflict. Q: Do you believe that civilians are being deliberately targeted in these attacks ? A. We have received credible reports that show a clear and consistent pattern: entire villages are looted, burned down and sometimes bombed. Large numbers of civilians have been killed and scores of women and children have been abducted, raped and tortured. Scorched-earth tactics are being employed throughout Darfur, including the deliberate destruction of schools, wells, seeds and food supplies, making whole towns and villages uninhabitable. Not even the camps for the refugees and the internally displaced are immune from attacks. I consider this to be ethnic cleansing. I can’t find any other word for it because these attacks primarily target the Fur, Zaghawa, Massaleit and certain other communities of black African origin. Q: Who is responsible for these attacks ? A. Based on numerous accounts, including reports from our own staff, the Janjaweed militia are primarily responsible for carrying out the attacks. In fact, war loot derived from these raids appears to be their main source of compensation. Last month alone we had eyewitness reports from either our own UN staff or NGO partners of 59 violent attacks with a total of 212 civilians killed and 107 injured. Of these, 166 killings were attributed to the Janjaweed and at times also with government associated troops and 43 killings were attributed to rebel groups, the JEM [Justice and Equality Movement] and the SLA [the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army]. Of course, these detailed reports only represent a fraction of the full extent of the violence as we have limited access to most parts of Darfur. Q: You mentioned earlier that humanitarian organisations are having difficulty gaining access to the displaced. Why are they having so many problems ? A. Permits to travel to the three regional capitals of Darfur - El Geinana, El Fasher and Nyala - are granted only after about eight to ten days. Permits to travel outside these urban areas are often delayed for extended periods, only granted to certain locations and sometimes denied. We have insisted at the highest level with the Sudanese authorities that these issues must be resolved. Lack of security is another key constraint. Many access roads are too dangerous for relief workers, preventing them from carrying out assessments or reaching people in need. In the past two weeks, a Médecins Sans Frontières truck was looted between Nyala and Zalingi and a WFP truck was ambushed and looted in Azalya. Following these incidents, even drivers of commercial trucks have been hesitant to travel a number of roads. In the next few months the logistical challenges will increase as the rainy season will make the roads inaccessible. Q: Given these access constraints are aid agencies able to provide any assistance ? A. We estimate that humanitarian agencies have access to about 350,000 vulnerable people in Darfur - only about one third of the estimated total population in need. For example, WFP has so far distributed approximately 4,000 tons of food to some 324,000 people. Its target is to deliver 10,000 tons to 750,000 people, a number that could rise quickly as we gain access to more areas and host communities deplete their food reserves. We are also assisting the refugees who have fled across the border to Chad. As many of them have been subject to attacks by militia crossing from Sudan, UNHCR is mounting a major logistical operation to establish camps and transfer refugees away from the border zone. Convoys are bringing refugees to four camps in the northern part and one camp in the southern part of the region. More than 15,000 refugees have been transferred to these camps to date. Q: How do you know what is happening to the civilian population on the ground in Darfur if you do not have widespread access to them ? A. Although we have do not have adequate access to all parts of Darfur we do fortunately have humanitarian personnel, including staff from my own office, in each of the three provincial capitals of Darfur. They travel on some roads to some communities and they report every day on atrocities that they witness. We have also been able to obtain information from our NGO partners and from interviews with the displaced people themselves. This is only a fraction of what we believe is really happening. Q: In your view what can be done to resolve the situation in Darfur ? A. The most important and urgent appeal we have to make is for an immediate cease-fire. Initial reports from the cease-fire talks being held in N’Djamena in Chad are not very encouraging. After three days, the talks have not yet reached the substance of a cease-fire agreement as the parties disagree on the agenda and the modalities of the talks. No amount of humanitarian assistance can protect people from being attacked. As the Secretary-General said on Wednesday, the fighting must stop. Now is the time for the parties to agree to a humanitarian cease-fire that should include an effective monitoring and verification mechanism. Secondly, the Government of Sudan should commit to the disarmament and control of the Janjaweed militia and ensure that the targeting of civilians ceases immediately. Law and order has to be restored through non-military means and all those guilty of atrocities should be brought to justice. Thirdly, the Government should ensure that all humanitarian personnel have full and unimpeded access to all areas of Darfur. We have to deploy a strong international presence to meet the most urgent needs, as well as to ensure at least a minimum level of passive protection. Fourthly, we need the prompt and generous support of donors to allow us to meet the rapidly growing needs. Most of the $ 23 million appealed for by the UN last September has been raised. Since then, the needs have quadrupled and a minimum of $ 115 million is now required to support the expanded operation. A separate appeal for $ 30 million was launched today in Geneva to meet the needs of refugees and host communities in Chad. Finally, I am encouraged to note that the Security Council issued a statement today expressing its concern about the massive humanitarian crisis in Darfur and calling on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and reach a ceasefire. I hope that the Council will remain seized of the matter and will consider taking further action if the situation does not improve.