2008 Woodie Awards
Foriegn aid may not be able to sustain Darfur relief effort
Brett Corrigan '09
Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: World
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The conflict in Darfur continues on but aid organized throughout the world to provide relief for those in need may be close to collapse.
This is according to an announcement by the United Nations that monetary and physical aid to the region may not be a possibility much longer.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes announced in the statement that there are two main concerns that the United Nations and many relief workers are now facing.
First, the turmoil within the area has not only impacted those within the country but outside observers as well.There have been many attacks and threats targeted at aid workers and the agencies they represent.
In addition, Holmes expressed concern at how long support and relief efforts will be able to continue in the face of increasing levels of need.
"Large populations have been displaced for several years and ever more newly displaced people continue to flow into existing camps," the United Nations statement said, indicating the need for long-term aid.
This report was prompted in part by an incident when Holmes and his convoy were stopped at a checkpoint on its way to the Kassab relief camp in Darfur. Kassab currently houses over 22,000 internally displaced persons.
In the report, Holmes noted with concern that"The United Nations and its NGO [Non-governmental Organization] partners are keeping these people alive-and we are not allowed in. We should be allowed to move freely."
Local government officials later apologized to Holmes and the United Nations for the misunderstanding, but the inability of a high profile unit to obtain clearance to enter the camps raised many concerns in the international community.
These concerns centered around the feasibility of maintaining relief programs, as well as the potential harm that could be done should relief workers be driven out.
The United Nations worries that inaccessibility and eminent danger have become too widespread throughout the refugee areas, which are stuck in the middle of a clash between the government-backed Janjaweed militias, and African rebels unhappy with the lack of government assistance.
This is according to an announcement by the United Nations that monetary and physical aid to the region may not be a possibility much longer.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes announced in the statement that there are two main concerns that the United Nations and many relief workers are now facing.
First, the turmoil within the area has not only impacted those within the country but outside observers as well.There have been many attacks and threats targeted at aid workers and the agencies they represent.
In addition, Holmes expressed concern at how long support and relief efforts will be able to continue in the face of increasing levels of need.
"Large populations have been displaced for several years and ever more newly displaced people continue to flow into existing camps," the United Nations statement said, indicating the need for long-term aid.
This report was prompted in part by an incident when Holmes and his convoy were stopped at a checkpoint on its way to the Kassab relief camp in Darfur. Kassab currently houses over 22,000 internally displaced persons.
In the report, Holmes noted with concern that"The United Nations and its NGO [Non-governmental Organization] partners are keeping these people alive-and we are not allowed in. We should be allowed to move freely."
Local government officials later apologized to Holmes and the United Nations for the misunderstanding, but the inability of a high profile unit to obtain clearance to enter the camps raised many concerns in the international community.
These concerns centered around the feasibility of maintaining relief programs, as well as the potential harm that could be done should relief workers be driven out.
The United Nations worries that inaccessibility and eminent danger have become too widespread throughout the refugee areas, which are stuck in the middle of a clash between the government-backed Janjaweed militias, and African rebels unhappy with the lack of government assistance.