When I first started getting involved in the Darfur movement, the almost complete focus for everyone that cared was Darfur itself. The experts did talk about threats to the region, if Darfur was left to burn. As months and years went by, the talks turned to the need to think of Sudan as a whole and find a comprehensive approach to the country’s problems, including Darfur. Now, we must focus on the larger region, including Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan…and Darfur.
I know that this should have been the focus from the beginning, but we tend to want to keep it simple, since it’s so difficult to create attention for even the more focused and manageable to the mind in Darfur.
Every trip to Chad has included being close, in time or in distance, to fighting. Hearing bullets being shot in to the night air became fairly normal. Being told and warned of bandits robbing cars was expected. Rebel activity was just part of Chadian reality, I felt. But, the big fighting and horrors were still in Darfur.
Being caught in N’Djamena during the coup did not feel normal, and we did not expect it. This time, we came even more aware of the realities of Chad, but it’s not exactly every-day stuff to me hearing of heavy rebel and Chadian military movement and a possible repeat of all-out fighting in the capital.
We are safe, and safer than in February, when we were stuck just next door to the bulls-eye of the attack, the presidential palace. Our friends in Abeche have treated us more than wonderfully. Suzanne found us this great room in the fitness center, and we have the luxury of mattresses on the floor, a desk to set up my computer, and our trusted Bgan—our connection to a satellite high in the sky, where we bounce our video and journals on to get them down to you.
Our team here is feeling good, given the circumstance. Colin is a bit under the weather, but staying positive and laughing with us. Scott is great, also maintaining his sense of humor, as he writes his journals and answer comments. Katie-Jay is on doing all of her work and also staying positive and funny. We’re a good team.
Please tell people around you to take a few minutes and do some of the actions we have suggested or any other action they can do that will help bring positive change to this region of the world.
What happens to boys that, in some way, get used to war when they grow up and become men? I know that they cannot get used to it, but it can be all that they know, if it’s always around them.
The Next Day...
iACT Team Member Katie-Jay: It looks like rebels passed Goz Beida this morning and are on their way to N’Djamena. It's even confirmed on the French-speaking African news station – the one we also watched during the coup attempt in February. There are no convoys leaving Abeche anytime soon, MINURCAT and EUFOR have suspended all transports to the camps that are reachable by car. But, we are on the manifest for an 11a.m. flight to Goz Beida! Youssouf, exhausted from the work he did with us yesterday, comes to pick us up and drive the kilometer to the airport. It is busy, with flights preparing to leave for N’Djamena as well as to the South. We see a large military aircraft take off. With help from a familiar porter, we carry the luggage up the stairs, only to be turned away quickly.
3 p.m: Appolinaire and the other man who holds the manifest tell us, “3 p.m. you fly out.” We aren’t sure of the details, but Youssouf drops us back off at the fitness center. As Josh might have said, TIA baby. Hours pass by, and we receive a phone call from Youssouf.
There is major fighting and banditry in Goz Beida, and he will check on our flight. We quickly call our Bouba, and he is unusually serious. There is fighting very close to where he is staying with friends. He can hear gunshots and confirms that rebels and government soldiers are clashing in the streets. I am worried about our Bouba. His wife is 8 months pregnant, due next month. He is so gentle, kind, and has a great sense of humor – or at least he always laughs at my jokes and responds with “no problem.” For now we stay safe in Abeche – Gabriel is riding the bike in the fitness center and Scott and Colin are playing a game of chess. But Bouba is surrounded by violence.
I am also worried about our friends in the camps. Quite different from many of the other camps, Djabal is only about 15 minutes from the center of Goz Beida and houses 15,785 refugees, and an hour of so away from another camp, Goz Amer, which houses another 20,424. Additionally, there are approximately 15 Internally Displaced People’s camps that are serviced by NGOs based out of Goz Beida and KoKo, another small nearby town.
Thousands of innocent civilians from Darfur and Chad are caught in the middle of this fighting. Gabriel mentioned yesterday in his journal that we must address the issues in the entire region, not just Darfur – however large and daunting the task seems. We need to spread the story of those who are most affected, and demand action by media, our leaders, and world leaders.
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Visit StopGenocideNow.org [1]
Watch the iACT team's other video diaries:
Return To Darfur: The Lost Suitcase Of Hope [2]
Return To Darfur [5]
