Just half a day’s travel by air from Europe, more than one million people have been caught up in a brutal, intransigent conflict, reminiscent of the darkest times of the Middle Ages.
For the past year the people of the Darfur region of Sudan have been engulfed in a violent conflagration that has forced about a million from their homes, and the flight of more than 100 000 refugees to neighbouring Chad. Most are living in camps under makeshift shelters, surviving with the assistance of the few humanitarian groups that are able to reach them.
Many thousands more are out of reach, hiding in the hills and mountains of the desert region. It is a desperate, shameful humanitarian crisis.
The cause of this upheaval is disputed. But the victims, who are predominantly black, say they were chased from their villages by the Janjaweed Arab militia, who, they say, raped women, abducted children and killed thousands.
Whole villages have been burnt down and looted. Vital wells, the only source of water in a dry region, have been destroyed, and schools wrecked.
There will be time later to apportion blame and recriminations. But having seen for ourselves the desperate plight of the people of Darfur, we at the World Food Programme believe that we are now in a race against time to prevent further suffering. Getting unimpeded access to the region must be the first priority, in order to provide crucial aid and to prevent further upheavals.
If the Sudanese government gives us the internal access and security we require, and if the international community assists us with the aid that the people of Darfur need, a total catastrophe can still be averted.
However, we face a monumental challenge. Even in the best of times, life in the Darfur region is hard. The population has learnt to survive in a harsh environment, prone to drought and only erratic rainfall, by storing food, and relying on the goodwill and generosity of neighbouring communities when times are particularly tough.
But it is not just a question of feeding people — the displaced of Darfur require adequate shelter, water, firewood, fodder for their animals, health services and education.
Now, most of those who have fled their homes have run out of food. The neighbours they once relied upon are also bereft. All hope they have left depends on the humanitarian aid community. But that is barely present because insecurity on the roads is preventing trucks from getting food to areas where it is needed most, and fear of attack prevents setting up programs to assist the needy.
Already, the forced movement of vast numbers of people means that crops will not be planted in time for the next harvest. Whatever happens, there are going to be severe food shortages in the coming months.
In just a few weeks’ time, the rainy season will begin. The roads will become completely impassable, and whole communities could find themselves isolated in the middle of a conflict zone.
We are asking for just two simple steps: the Darfur region must be opened up immediately to humanitarian agencies to work without hindrance or fear of attack. The government of Sudan must give the absolute highest priority to the protection and security of its highly vulnerable citizens. They are scared, traumatised and want to go home — but only if they are certain they will return to a safe place and will not be victimised again by ruthless forces that want to do them considerable harm.ÂÂ
The United Nations humanitarian agencies and the important non-governmental agencies working in Darfur urgently need help to provide the bare necessities of food, water, sanitation, shelter, health care, and clothing for a struggling group of displaced people who lost everything.ÂÂ
James Morris is the executive director of the World Food Programme. He recently returned from Darfur, where he led a United Nations humanitarian mission