Difficult road to peace in Gereda

1 Dec 2008

Difficult road to peace in Gereda

15 February 2008 -- With 135,000 internally displaced persons, the city of Gereda in South Darfur houses the highest number of IDPs in Darfur – a region in which some 2.5 million are displaced. After reports of a steady influx of IDPs in the locality, a United Nations team visited the area to assess the situation. The local authorities called for implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), while the displaced populations sought improved security and extended assistance.

On the 14th of February, a team composed of different UN organizations drove to Gereda to meet the local authorities and IDPs. The city, located three hours South of Nyala, the state capital, is secured by elements of the Sudanese Liberation Army under the command of Minni Minawi (SLA-MM). The rebel movement, signatory to the peace agreement, assumes the authority of the state in the area, while the government of Sudan takes over further to the south. However, relations between the partners are tense.

“The government is not committed to its word” declares an SLA-MM member in the area. He insists that “the government has not implemented its requirement to provide logistical support to the movement. Until this is done, we will not allow the government to have authority over the area”. He adds, however, that he does not have power to protect the area’s inhabitants and wants UNAMID to disarm the Arab tribe accused of banditry and violence against the local population – a tribe he says is Government backed.

Meanwhile, IDPs come to Gereda in search of security and help. A woman settled on the outskirts of the city describes how she was forced to leave with a group of two hundred and thirty families from Misselha, some 40 kilometers south of Gereda: “The village was burnt and the animals were looted. We lost 400 cattle,” she says. “We first went to Buram [south of Misselha] but received no assistance, no food. Our relatives found this location for us. For two months now, they have shared the food ration they receive. We depend upon them.”

The situation will change once the International Committee for the Red Cross, in charge of the assistance in Gereda, has finished registering the new arrivals. Meanwhile, the family also complains of insecurity in the south eastern area of Gereda, where women used to collect firewood. To escape harassment they now collect wood close to the UNAMID camp in the area, even though the quality of firewood and the money they can earn from selling it is poor.

Laurent Grosbois is in charge of the Protection of Civilians section for the United Nations Mission in Sudan. He organized the mission with colleagues from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNAMID. He explains: “We interviewed people in Gereida and [nearby] Joghana . We will now inform the relevant humanitarian partners of the situation. We already indicated the necessity of firewood patrols to UNAMID’s commander in Gereda. We also suggested that they patrol south, where most attacks occur.”

UNAMID, which recently took over from the African Union Mission in Sudan (Amis), is mandated to protect the civilian population and facilitate humanitarian assistance. To fully achieve its goals, the force will need to grow from its current 9,000 men to the 26,000 the UN Security Council has agreed.