Sureka Khandagle is Team Leader for the Darfur Field Office, Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, US Agency for International Development, Khartoum, Sudan; and Gary Barrett, formerly a Disaster Management Specialist for the Forest Service, International Programs, Disaster Assistance Support Program, Washington, DC, is Head of the United Nations Logistics Center, South Sudan.
T he 4-year conflict in Darfur,
Sudan, has claimed hundreds
of thousands of lives and driven
more than 2 million people from their
homes. Families have been ravaged by the
fighting, which has affected more than 60
percent of the population.
That includes Mohammed Salih Haroun,
an agricultural engineer who runs a seed
store and agricultural consulting business
in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. In
July 2006, an Arab militia attacked and
burned his family’s village of Amoodh
Al Akhdar. Many civilians were killed,
including Haroun’s 29-year-old brother. He
and the rest of his family fled to Otash, a
camp near Nyala that provides shelter for
about 60,000 internally displaced people. By helping farmers improve crop quality and
yield, Haroun is supporting the restoration
of livelihoods in Darfur. Meanwhile, he is
saving money to build a home for his family
so that they can leave Otash and begin a
new life in Nyala.
Displaced families like Haroun’s are
assisted by the U.S. Government, the
leading international donor in Sudan.
Since fiscal year 2004, the United States
has contributed more than $2 billion for
humanitarian programs in Sudan and
eastern Chad. The Forest Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, has been
involved through the Disaster Assistance
Support Program through an agreement
with the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster
Assistance in the U.S. Agency for
International Development.
In early 2004, Forest Service experts
helped to assess humanitarian needs in
Darfur. They served as liaisons between
the U.S. Government and nongovernmental
organizations, validating the needs of the
displaced and helping to direct funding to
relief programs in sectors such as health,
water and sanitation, food security and agriculture, nutrition, logistics, shelter
and security.
In 2005, experts found that a poor
transportation infrastructure in Darfur was
keeping supplies from getting to camps
during the rainy season. A Forest Service
bridge engineer, who is experienced in
remote-area geotechnical applications,
surveyed the area and recommended
improvements. The U.S. Agency for
International Development then funded
corresponding projects, such as reinforcing
streambed crossings to withstand seasonal
flooding and allow supplies to reach
families in need.
In 2006, personnel from the Forest
Service and Bureau of Land Management
helped security staff from the U.S. Agency
for International Development identify and
evaluate safety hazards for team lodging.
In 2007, Forest Service field officers
have continued to support humanitarian operations in Darfur, helping to implement
and monitor more than $100 million in
relief programs. Ravaged villages still dot
many landscapes, along with huge camps
like Otash. But relief efforts by the U.S.
Agency for International Development, in
cooperation with partners like the Forest
Service, are giving Mohammed Salih
Haroun and his family new grounds for
hope. |
