Médecins Du Monde leaves Sudan's Darfur because of violence
thankyougrandma
Posts: 1,182
When there's no help, international groups are leaving, no informations (press, govt. etc), no interventions from international community... it start to look strangely like Rwanda, but it is Africa, so who cares? Right?
While i was reading this news yesterday, i turned the tv. on to see if CNN were giving some coverage... they were talking about a horse being euthanized...
French aid group says it is withdrawing from Sudan's Darfur because of violence
The Associated PressPublished: January 29, 2007
KHARTOUM, Sudan: A leading French aid group said Monday it was pulling out of Darfur because the violence in the western Sudan region posed too high a risk to its workers.
Medecins du Monde, or Doctors of the World, has "suspended its activities in Darfur for an undetermined period of time," said the group's director of international missions, Eric Chevallier, in a phone interview.
"The balance between the help we were able to provide and the risks our staff were taking had reached breaking point," Chevallier said.
Several other aid groups have reduced their staff in Darfur because of the violence, and warned that they might be forced to withdraw completely. But Doctors of the World is the first major aid group to pull out.
More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and about 2,5 million forced to flee their homes during the past four years.
Today in Africa & Middle East
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The French aid group has begun pulling out more than a dozen international aid workers and some 200 Sudanese nationals working in the region, it's international director said.
"It's a very difficult decision, and we hope we will be able to go back in when security improves," said Chevallier.
The aid group had been assisting some 90,000 refugees in the Kalma refugee camp of South Darfur, and had operated a mobile clinic treating about 30,000 people in remote villages in the Jebel Marra mountains where there was an outbreak of cholera last year.
He blamed the spiraling violence on all parties in Darfur, where multiple rebel groups fight the Sudanese army and the janjaweed paramilitary groups.
Chevallier said vehicle hijacking was making it impossible for the aid group to reach the remote villages where their aid is most needed, and that increased violence made it dangerous for staff to remain even in Darfur major towns. He pointed to a raid of four refugee compounds in the Gereida refugee camp on Dec. 18 during which a female aid worker was raped and several others endured mock executions while their vehicles and possessions were stolen.
"We decided it was better to leave before facing a serious problem than afterward," Chevallier said.
On Sunday, six other aid groups warned in a statement that they were reaching the "breaking point" in Darfur and called on the 7,000 African Union peacekeepers deployed in the region to try harder to protect refugees.
"Aid workers are facing violence on a scale not seen before in Darfur, leaving access to people in need at the conflict's lowest point," said the joint statement issued by Care International, the British Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council and three other groups.
Attacks against civilians increased this month, killing 350 people and chasing tens of thousand more people from their home in January alone, the statement said.
The United Nations blames the Sudanese government in Khartoum for the brunt of the atrocities in Darfur, but the aid groups pointed out that "splits in the rebel movements and a widespread lack of accountability" is largely contributing to their worsening situation.
Ten AU peacekeepers have been killed since the African Union deployed in Darfur in June 2004, and the African mission says it needs more international support to pacify this region nearly the size of Texas.
Sudan opposes a U.N. Security Council resolution for some 22,000 U.N. peacekeepers to replace the overwhelmed African force, but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is due to discuss a compromise deal for a mixed U.N. and AU force with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this week.
The U.N. says Darfur is the largest ongoing humanitarian operation in the world, with some 15,000 aid workers — including more than 1,000 expatriates — deployed in the region.
Medecins du Monde was established in 1980. It runs medical missions in various African and Asian countries, but the mission in Darfur was one of the largest, with several million euros (dollars) spent on it annually since it was established in 2004.
pvs-wnt
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/29/africa/AF-GEN-Sudan-Darfur-Aid.php
While i was reading this news yesterday, i turned the tv. on to see if CNN were giving some coverage... they were talking about a horse being euthanized...
French aid group says it is withdrawing from Sudan's Darfur because of violence
The Associated PressPublished: January 29, 2007
KHARTOUM, Sudan: A leading French aid group said Monday it was pulling out of Darfur because the violence in the western Sudan region posed too high a risk to its workers.
Medecins du Monde, or Doctors of the World, has "suspended its activities in Darfur for an undetermined period of time," said the group's director of international missions, Eric Chevallier, in a phone interview.
"The balance between the help we were able to provide and the risks our staff were taking had reached breaking point," Chevallier said.
Several other aid groups have reduced their staff in Darfur because of the violence, and warned that they might be forced to withdraw completely. But Doctors of the World is the first major aid group to pull out.
More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and about 2,5 million forced to flee their homes during the past four years.
Today in Africa & Middle East
Bombings target Shiites in Iraq, killing dozens Fierce militia fighters catch Iraqi Army by surprise Cease-fire begins in Gaza after fighting leaves 34 dead
The French aid group has begun pulling out more than a dozen international aid workers and some 200 Sudanese nationals working in the region, it's international director said.
"It's a very difficult decision, and we hope we will be able to go back in when security improves," said Chevallier.
The aid group had been assisting some 90,000 refugees in the Kalma refugee camp of South Darfur, and had operated a mobile clinic treating about 30,000 people in remote villages in the Jebel Marra mountains where there was an outbreak of cholera last year.
He blamed the spiraling violence on all parties in Darfur, where multiple rebel groups fight the Sudanese army and the janjaweed paramilitary groups.
Chevallier said vehicle hijacking was making it impossible for the aid group to reach the remote villages where their aid is most needed, and that increased violence made it dangerous for staff to remain even in Darfur major towns. He pointed to a raid of four refugee compounds in the Gereida refugee camp on Dec. 18 during which a female aid worker was raped and several others endured mock executions while their vehicles and possessions were stolen.
"We decided it was better to leave before facing a serious problem than afterward," Chevallier said.
On Sunday, six other aid groups warned in a statement that they were reaching the "breaking point" in Darfur and called on the 7,000 African Union peacekeepers deployed in the region to try harder to protect refugees.
"Aid workers are facing violence on a scale not seen before in Darfur, leaving access to people in need at the conflict's lowest point," said the joint statement issued by Care International, the British Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council and three other groups.
Attacks against civilians increased this month, killing 350 people and chasing tens of thousand more people from their home in January alone, the statement said.
The United Nations blames the Sudanese government in Khartoum for the brunt of the atrocities in Darfur, but the aid groups pointed out that "splits in the rebel movements and a widespread lack of accountability" is largely contributing to their worsening situation.
Ten AU peacekeepers have been killed since the African Union deployed in Darfur in June 2004, and the African mission says it needs more international support to pacify this region nearly the size of Texas.
Sudan opposes a U.N. Security Council resolution for some 22,000 U.N. peacekeepers to replace the overwhelmed African force, but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is due to discuss a compromise deal for a mixed U.N. and AU force with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this week.
The U.N. says Darfur is the largest ongoing humanitarian operation in the world, with some 15,000 aid workers — including more than 1,000 expatriates — deployed in the region.
Medecins du Monde was established in 1980. It runs medical missions in various African and Asian countries, but the mission in Darfur was one of the largest, with several million euros (dollars) spent on it annually since it was established in 2004.
pvs-wnt
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/29/africa/AF-GEN-Sudan-Darfur-Aid.php
"L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers"
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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of course they were talking about the horse, there was money to be made. Why should anyone step up and help Africa? I mean, it's not like we GET anything from it. Big deal, it's the right thing to do...blah blah blah we don't want to meddle in their affairs, b/c they are a sovereign nation and need to work things out on their own
(note tongue planted firmly in cheek)