Sudan

Blog Post:  Posted August 19, 2010, 12:45 pm by Phil Ottum

From the photo library: Pure Joy

Country: Sudan

Cassandra Nelson has helped tell Mercy Corps' story with photographs and video for eight years. Her work is the backbone of our photo library — more than 9,000 of the archive's 60,000 assets are hers. She has been on the ground for virtually every emergency we've responded to during that time and she's covered most of our programmes worldwide. She was part of our first-responder team after the Haiti earthquake and supplied moving images of Mercy Corps' early relief effort there.

This touching image is from Twic County, South Sudan in 2005 when 150 abducted slaves were freed and reunited with their families after 17 years of separation. The emotion of pure joy in the photograph is compelling. Here are Cassandra's recollections of the trip and this moment:

We received word from the UN that there was a group of slaves who were being repatriated from the north, back home to Turalay in South Sudan. At the time I was in Wunrock, South Sudan with Mercy Corps. We decided to go meet the families that were being reunited because part of Mercy Corps' work in South Sudan was to work with war-affected youths and help to reintegrate them into their communities. It took us the better part of a day driving on one of the areas very few roads to reach Turalay. It was incredibly hot — well over 100 degrees and no shade.. just a lot of dust.

"When we reached the village, the returnees had not yet arrived. I spent an hour talking with the grandmother of some of the children who were being freed. She told me that she had never met the children — they were born in captivity in the North. Her son, had been taken as a slave when he was a young man. He was walking to a nearby village to go to the market and he never came home. It had been 17 years since she last saw her son. She was not at all certain that he would really be coming home that day. She was very excited, but also afraid in case the reunion did not really take place.

When the truck with the freed slaves arrived the grandmother stood back. She didn't rush to see if her son and grand children were there. She just watched and held her breath. Then suddenly she ran across the compound calling out their names at the top of her voice. When the children saw her they ran towards her. I remember thinking it was amazing that they met as if they had known each other for a long time...but this was the first time they had every seen one another. It was beautiful — almost like a scene out of movie. The dust and the heat melted away and all you could see was this amazing joy and love."

By the way, a few more of Cassandra's images are featured in this month's Portland Monthly magazine.

Blog Post:  Posted February 15, 2010, 7:18 pm by Jameson Gadzirai

Images

Country: Sudan

There are
Images painted right in the core of your mind,
No camera can take, nor video rewind;

The sight of a young man carrying a new born calf in his hands
Trudging open plains, mother cow in tow, lowing in reverence

Cattle herders painting their skin grey,
Dancing the night away naked,
because the sun is away

Siblings holding hands and walking in the bright sun,
Herding goats and sheep, this their fun

The sound of laughter from cattle herders huddled around a fire,
Cows and bulls surrounding them, safe because of their masters

Images of people gyrating and ululating;

Drumbeats on a Sunday evening;
Married with voices of people a-singing,
Homage to the One that created all things Living!

Pictures of the hopes and celebrations of a life so vibrant

These, the images one revels in,
Forever imprinted on the minds of those looking in.

Posted June 23, 2009

A Step Forward in Darfur

Country: Sudan

Topics: Conflict & War, Displacement, Emergencies

Mercy Corps Scotland is preparing to enter Darfur to help thousands of Sudanese impacted by the continuing strife there. These are families who have lost nearly everything — their homes, their farms, their loved ones — and have been living in tent camps ever since.

Until this March, Mercy Corps worked in Darfur for five years, providing lifesaving assistance to more than 200,000 people each day. When the government of Sudan revoked the registration of 13 international aid agencies, including Mercy Corps, we immediately started looking for other ways to help this besieged population.

Now, with your support, Mercy Corps Scotland will draw on our experience to assist families enduring what the UN has called "the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

In Darfur today, according to the UN, 460,000 people are unable to get health services. Tens of thousands of families may go without food. And more than 1 million lives are now at risk.

Mercy Corps Scotland also plans to work in what's known as the Three Areas — areas heavily affected by Sudan's 21-year civil war and considered critical to lasting peace.

Mercy Corps worked to strengthen communities in each of the three areas by building resource centers and supporting local organisations in their efforts to rebound from 21 years of civil war. Each of these three areas — Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile state and the Abyei area — was singled out for special treatment in the 2005 peace agreement that ended the north-south conflict.

Please help meet the urgent needs of displaced families in Darfur's understaffed camps and join the effort to bring peace to all of Sudan with a gift to Mercy Corps.

The Pursuit of Peace:

Posted June 13, 2008

The Blacksmith of Aweng

Country: Sudan

Topics: Conflict & War, Economic Development

The Pursuit of Peace:

Posted June 9, 2008

Cementing a Fragile Peace

Country: Sudan

Topics: Peaceful Change, Governance, Emergencies, Education, Economic Development, Displacement, Conflict & War, Civil Society

By any measure, Sudan is a country in crisis.

For three years running, Sudan has been No. 1 or No. 2 in Foreign Policy's rankings as the state most at risk of failure. Its position atop that list reflects both the fragile peace between north and south — who fought a 21-year civil war that ended in 2005 — and the ongoing crisis in Darfur, where 2.5 million have been displaced since rebels took up arms in 2003.

Mercy Corps is helping Sudan strengthen the fragile peace between north and south through an integrated and community-based approach in and around the areas considered most critical to lasting tranquility.

Soon, we hope to extend this approach to Darfur. For now, we continue to help sustain 170,000 Darfurians displaced from their homes — keeping camps clean, training health promoters, building and supplying schools, and providing skills training to women and other vulnerable people.

The quest for peace in Sudan isn't new. In fact, since gaining independence from Britain in 1956, Sudan has been embroiled in civil conflict for all but 11 years.

Persistent sources of conflict include unequal levels of community development; cultural and religious differences; and irregular distribution of resources, including oil revenues and grazing lands.

These friction points were partially addressed in early 2005, when the party in power, the National Congress Party, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). It ended Africa's longest civil conflict — fought for 21 years, primarily in the south and along what's now the border area between north and south — that killed two million people and forced more than four million from their homes.

The CPA is a landmark document; most agree it provides the framework for a strong and stable Sudan. It establishes semi-autonomy for southern Sudan, milestones for democratic reforms, revenue and power sharing, national elections, and ultimately, a referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan.

If it is successfully implemented, it also provides the framework to extend peace to Darfur. That's because the challenges addressed in the CPA — including national elections, transparent resource sharing and equitable development — respond to the concerns of people in Darfur as well as the south.

Mercy Corps works in Darfur, southern Sudan, and three border areas heavily affected by the war — and considered critical to lasting peace. Each of these three areas — Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile state and the Abyei area — was singled out for special treatment in the 2005 peace agreement. The work we do falls into one of three categories:

• An ongoing response to humanitarian needs in Darfur;
• Community recovery projects that demonstrate a tangible "peace dividend"while increase opportunities for livelihoods; and
• Training and support for local civil-society groups, so that they can play an appropriate role in strengthening the peace and building a democratic Sudan

Our role in Abyei now includes providing relief to the estimated 60,000 people who fled south from Abyei town after fighting broke out in mid-May. We're helping reach displaced families with food, shelter, cookware and other items needed to survive while continuing to provide seeds and tools and agricultural expertise to ensure a strong harvest. And we're continuing programmes that encourage the economic recovery of surrounding communities.

Our work throughout Sudan is based on the belief that communities in transition present the greatest opportunities to bring about positive, lasting change. Our goal is to support fair and lasting peace by supporting the implementation of the peace agreement and laying the groundwork for long-term development.

Posted June 4, 2008 by Rodrigo Ordonez

Uncertainty for Abyei's Displaced

Country: Sudan

Topics: Emergencies, Displacement

Agok, Abyei area — Two weeks after armed clashes started in Abyei town, the approximately 50,000 people who fled southwards are hesitant about their next move.

Exhaustion, the imminence of heavy rains and the volatility of security limit the options of the displaced population, and make it hard to tell whether their return to the oil-rich area will be a possibility in the near future. Local and international agencies, including Mercy Corps, were swift to respond and have formed a closely-knit team to assist those affected by the emergency.

A large majority of the population of Abyei town has arrived to the adjacent areas of Abatok, Awal, Wunpeth, Malual Aleu and Agok. "We escaped when fighting started, and ran towards the south," explains Makuol Pachuil. This elder is one of the people who is displaced in Malual Aleu. In this remote place, off the main roads, Mercy Corps is one of two international organisations distributing food received from the World Food Programme (WFP).

Makuol's group, hiding from the sun under a big tree, comes from the village of Maker, about 20 kilometers away, in the northern outskirts of Abyei town. They spent two days by River Kiir, near the frontline, before getting to Malual Aleu. They look tired. The children are eating a hot meal made from the WFP rations.

"We don't know anything about the situation in Abyei; we just ran out," says Ajak Manyiel, another member of the group.

The UN Secretary General's Special Representative to Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, managed to visit the town last week. "We have been to the centre of Abyei and it doesn't exist any more. It's totally charred. It's totally devastated," he told reporters.

It is estimated about 90 percent of Abyei town has been destroyed. The market, rehabilitated by a Mercy Corps-led consortium last year and bustling with activity only three weeks ago, is now reportedly burnt to ashes.

Uncertainty prevails among the displaced. Some are recent returnees and claim they do not want to move again. Others argue they will keep moving further south as soon as they get some food. There are also some that express their intention to move back to Abyei as soon as there is peace.

A few kilometers away, in Mading Jokthiang, children look up in silence as a plane flies over them. Under a tree, several girls while away the time molding clay into human figures and a helicopter. A group of people from Abyei town has arrived here after spending several days in the bush, and has taken shelter in a primary school built by Mercy Corps last year. They are not happy to be idle, but they have yet to decide what to do.

People have also arrived to Twic County in Warrab State and in smaller numbers into the states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Unity. The roads leading there register an unusually high level of activity, with people walking in all directions. In Panyok, about 50 kilometers south of Abyei town, the familiar image of displaced people waiting under a tree is repeated. The group here, women and children for the most part, is also wondering what will be their next move.

Rapid response

On the first days after fighting broke out, Mercy Corps staff and vehicles were among the first on the scene to support the transport and distribution of food aid in the areas of displacement.

Mercy Corps' offices in Agok are hosting the joint humanitarian coordination team from the United Nations and other international agencies. Those involved have commented that this forward operation centre enabled the rapid response.

Mercy Corps' active role in the emergency response is a sign of our commitment to the communities with whom we work. Our organisation has worked in the Abyei area since 2005, implementing economic recovery and civil society development programmes.

In addition to the emergency relief response, Mercy Corps is continuing to focus on existing recovery and development programmes targeting host and returnee communities in the Abyei area, as well as the adjacent areas currently absorbing the influx in northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrab, and Unity states.

Please donate to our Southern Sudan Emergency Fund to help displaced families in Abyei meet their immediate needs.

The Pursuit of Peace:

Posted February 16, 2008 by Dan Sadowsky

Opening Doors in Abyei

Country: Sudan

Topics: Economic Development, Peaceful Change, Urban

Abyei town, Sudan — Patterned bedsheets keep the mid-afternoon Sahelian sun and the swirling dust out of Theresa Whex's restaurant in Abyei's main market, a maze of mostly stick-and-straw stalls.

A few hours ago, customers sat on plastic chairs eating a lunch of fava beans, meat stew and ugali, the traditional East African porridge of maize flour and water. Now the restaurant is empty, and the 38-year-old mother of nine busies herself cleaning pots and pans in the kitchen area.

"It's been a good day," Theresa says, estimating her profit at 15 Sudanese pounds, or a little less than eight U.S. dollars.

Theresa is one of hundreds of relatively new stall owners in Abyei's main market, which has grown exponentially since the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended Africa's longest-running civil war. Prior to peace, market wares were limited to basic foodstuffs and household essentials. Today, shoppers can find goods ranging from staple grains to building supplies to home furnishings and even cell phones. "When I started, this market was very small, and there were not many people," Theresa says. "It was difficult at first, but now it's improving."

At first glance, Abyei is a dusty, chaotic, unexceptional town that anchors a larger geographic area of the same name. But Abyei's role in Sudan's peace process is anything but ordinary. Historically, Abyei has served as a bridge between north and south Sudan. Its lucrative oil fields were one reason why both sides claimed Abyei during the war, which displaced an estimated 85 percent of the area's residents. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement acknowledged Abyei's importance by devoting a separate protocol to the area that, among other things, granted Abyei its own government.

Yet so far, the people here have seen only part of the agreement actually implemented. "Failure to adequately address Abyei," warns the U.S. human-rights group ENOUGH in a recent report, "is a virtual guarantee of horrific violence in that embattled region and may presage a full-scale war throughout the country."

Despite Abyei's uncertain future, former residents are returning to the area in droves, which is creating opportunities for entrepreneurs like Theresa Whex. Peace brought Theresa and five of her nine children back in 2006 from Khartoum, where for 18 years she "slept in the slums" and made do selling home-brewed alcohol and cooking for parish priests.

"I was a farmer before I went to Khartoum, but when I returned to Abyei I wanted to make money," she explains. "So I opened this restaurant."

Theresa has played a significant role in the area's commercial development as an elected official of the Abyei Chamber of Commerce, which Mercy Corps helped form in early 2007. Its 12-member board meets twice a month and has recently discussed building its own office, offering startup loans to traders and trekking to the southern capital of Juba to lobby the government for financial assistance.

Helping Abyei's market grow is part of Mercy Corps' efforts to ensure that the area's economic development keeps pace with the influx of returnees. Other Mercy Corps initiatives have helped electrify stalls, organise community cleanups and upgrade 900 meters of the market's main road.

"The idea is to bring back basic services to a population that has been deeply affected by the war in an area that has no functional government," says J.J. Franc de Ferriere, who manages the Mercy Corps-led Abyei Recovery and Rehabilitation Programme, funded by the European Union and managed by the UN Development Programme.

He says Mercy Corps has established technical committees of residents in key sectors — including health, education and water — so that people can more effectively drive the area's reconstruction.

Mercy Corps' peace-building efforts in Abyei lend themselves to other troubled areas in Sudan, says Richard Haselwood, Mercy Corps' country director. "If the CPA is implemented, our work in places like Abyei can lay the foundation for a model for postwar recovery and rehabilitation in Darfur."

Rebuilding Abyei is not without significant challenges. Efforts to form a chamber of commerce revealed some of the mistrust that exists between the two main population groups, the northern Misseriya and the southern Dinka. All traders participated in a three-day Mercy Corps work session to help set up the chamber. But many Misseriya traders dropped out of the chamber after the majority f members decided to hold open elections to determine officer seats, rather than apportion them along tribal lines.

But Theresa downplays the dispute and describes relations between the traders as peaceful. And Mercy Corps' Franc de Ferriere says all traders voiced appreciation for the process and that the formation of the chamber bodes well for the future of Abyei's Arab-Dinka relations. "People saw they could play a key role in the social life here without reverting to weapons."

"Abyei means a lot to me," Theresa says. "It's a beautiful place." She hopes cooperation and collaboration become Abyei's watchwords. Lasting peace in Sudan may depend on it.

The Pursuit of Peace:

Posted February 11, 2008 by Dan Sadowsky

A Lodge 'Bigger Than The Hilton'

Country: Sudan

Topics: Conflict & War, Economic Development, Women's Empowerment

Twic County, Sudan — Civil war forced Jacklin Akual Longar's family to flee their home here when she was six years old. They spent 18 years in Khartoum before Jacklin felt it safe enough to come back. Today the 28-year-old, who's married with a baby of her own, works as a community health nurse in the town of Wunrock. But the return hasn't been easy.

"When I came back to Twic," says Jacklin, "life was hard for me. No roads, no vehicles, hard to find water." But she's the type of person who sees opportunity in problems. In addition to her nursing day job, she heads the Mada Women's Development Centre, a community organisation launched by eight female professionals to advance the status of women in postwar Sudan. And she noticed that visitors to Wunrock, where the Women's Development Centre is located, could not find a place to spend the night.

So Jacklin and the other members decided to start a business to help fund their fledgling organisation: a lodge to house traders, government officials and other visitors passing through. "My dream," says Jacklin with a laugh, "is to have it be bigger than the Khartoum Hilton."

With the help of a World Food Programme food-for-work initiative, Jacklin and her group started building tukuls — round mud huts with conical grass roofs that are common in southern Sudan. Mercy Corps provided the women with trainings in business planning, financial management, leadership and group dynamics, and purchased a refrigerator and generator so they could offer cold drinks to their guests.

At the end of 2007, the lodge opened with four tukuls and a covered lounge on the large, bamboo-fenced compound a short walk from the town market. Near-term plans call for six more huts and a second latrine. The lodge is one of 15 women-owned enterprises in Twic County — others include restaurants and tea stalls — that Mercy Corps has supported with trainings and grants over the last two years.

But Jacklin's dream didn't end with the lodge's successful opening. She wants the lodge earnings to expand the Mada Women's Development Centre in several ways: A new training centre would be rented to NGOs for meetings and for her own organisation to host weekend sessions for women, teaching such practical topics as sewing, handicrafts and health awareness. Eventually Jacklin wants to add a nursery and a beauty salon.

"The biggest problem here," muses Jacklin, "is education. Women didn't get an education during the war. So they don't have knowledge about how to start a business. Meanwhile, all the men are in the market playing cards. We're going to change things by helping them learn about health, children, business. And the women will learn how to make life easier for themselves."

Already the cash box Mercy Corps gave the entrepreneurs is filling up. How much have they made? "A lot," Jacklin affirms with a smile. "I don't count guests - I count money." Those funds will be reinvested in the best business plan of all: the children's futures. "I hope all our members' children will be graduated," says Jacklin, "because with this business they will afford school fees, and many will be doctors and engineers."