August 09 2006
Last month Darfur's worst-ever for violence towards aid workers
Aid agencies say insecurity is preventing vital assistance reaching those who need it, demand end to rising violence
Four major international aid agencies working in Darfur today said that July was the worst month of the three-year old
conflict in terms of attacks on aid workers and operations. Eight humanitarian workers were violently killed in Darfur
during July. The agencies – CARE, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam International and World Vision – joined forces
to express alarm at rising violence and deteriorating humanitarian access since the signing of the Darfur Peace
Agreement on May 5. They warned the increasing insecurity is crippling their ability to reach people in need, with
potentially disastrous consequences.
As well as the eight deaths, July saw many other aid workers attacked and intimidated, and there were more than twenty
incidents of humanitarian vehicles being hijacked or stolen.
"The targeting of humanitarian workers is completely unacceptable. Since the signing of the Agreement, Darfur has become
increasingly tense and violent, which has led to the tragic deaths of far too many civilians and aid workers. A full and
comprehensive ceasefire must be implemented immediately," said Paul Smith-Lomas, Regional Director of Oxfam, one of
several organisations to have a member of staff killed in recent weeks.
Tensions within many of the camps for the region's two million displaced people have steadily risen due to opposition to
the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). Violence is increasingly quick to break out, putting at risk aid workers who are
delivering vital services. Meanwhile, the under-resourced and poorly supported African Union police and troops who are
supposed to be providing security appear to have reduced the scope of their efforts to protect civilians since the DPA's
signing.
The agencies called upon those responsible for protecting civilians and creating a secure environment for aid
operations, particularly the African Union, to prioritise having a 24/7 presence and regular patrols in areas around the
camps.
The humanitarian response in Darfur is the largest in the world and has managed to stabilise the horrific health and
nutritional conditions that were seen in the early stages of the conflict. However, the agencies warned this response is
now under threat. Some areas of Darfur are seeing levels of malnutrition once again on the rise, and outbreaks of acute
diarrhoea in the vast camps.
"The danger is clear. If we cannot access the people who need assistance then the humanitarian situation is going to
rapidly deteriorate. As usual in Darfur, civilians are the ones to suffer – from being attacked, displaced, and also
from being denied access to the assistance that they urgently need," said Kurt Tjossen, a spokesperson for the IRC.
In the last month, more than 25,000 people have fled their homes in North Darfur in the face of fighting and attacks on
their villages. Three and a half million people throughout Darfur are dependent on humanitarian aid, yet vast areas such
as the Jebel Marra mountains and large chunks of the northwestern region, are almost completely inaccessible to aid
agencies due to the violence and insecurity.
The agencies called on all parties engaged in the conflict – those who have signed the DPA and those who have not – to
immediately adhere to the ceasefire and allow humanitarian operations unhindered access to the people in need. They
urged the international community to do more to pressure all sides to end the ongoing violence.
Signed: CARE, Oxfam International, International Rescue Committee (IRC), World Vision Additional Notes:
• Deaths of humanitarian workers in Darfur during July 2006 July 6 – A Care staff member was shot dead at a water point
in Kalma, South Darfur July 12 – A Relief International driver was shot dead during a hijacking near Saraf Omra, North
Darfur July 19 – A SUDO driver was shot dead during a hijacking near Mershing, South Darfur July 20 – Three workers from
the state water corporation (WES) were beaten to death in Hassahissa IDP camp, West Darfur July 27 – A Tearfund staff
member was beaten to death in Dereig IDP camp, West Darfur July 28 – An Oxfam staff member was killed during an attack
on a village in West Darfur. He had previously been abducted during a hijacking in May.
Half of these incidents have taken place in camps for displaced people – due to the increasingly volatile atmosphere
within the camps since the signing of the DPA. Many of the displaced oppose the agreement.
• The UN recently announced that humanitarian access levels in Darfur are now worse than in 2004 – it is thought that
they are as low as 60%, with most access being via air. Four in ten people in Darfur are therefore thought to be not
receiving the assistance that they need.
• Since the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed on May 5, the situation in Darfur has become increasingly complex. Rebel
movements have split into numerous factions and there have been widespread popular demonstrations against the agreement
within the IDP camps. Banditry and general lawlessness is now rife. Militias, rebel groups and government forces have
all clashed on a regular basis.
ENDS