For more than two years, vicious conflict has raged in Darfur, Western Sudan – driving two million people from their homes. While some 200,000 have fled to neighbouring Chad most of the displaced remain in Darfur – in desperate need of protection.

Darfur, Sudan – Zaina Abakar, a 35-year-old widow with three children, sits beneath a tree in a dried up river bed, cradling her year-old baby boy. The patch of shade near Goz Diga village is home for now. Her distress is obvious.

‘We are living here, but we are scared,’ says Zaina. ‘We are scared of everything. When we saw your plane coming we thought of running away. Whenever anything happens we think of running,’ she adds.

Zaina has had cause to fear. Last year her village was bombed and destroyed, forcing her community to flee into neighbouring Chad. After a few months she returned to Darfur along with some other women and their children, but with the threat of attacks everywhere, they have dared to go no further than the river bed. Their situation is desperate – with food so scarce they have to eat seeds they find on the ground – seeds that are so tough they must be boiled for three days. Everyone dreams of living once again in their home village. ‘When there is nothing that is going to kill us, we will go back,’ says Zaina starkly.

A continuing crisis

Zaina is one of around two million people who have been driven away from their homes in Darfur, Western Sudan, since early 2003 – the result of a campaign of terror waged against local communities by Janjaweed militia.

Still vulnerable to groups of roaming militiamen, hundreds of thousands of traumatised, dispossessed people are now scattered across Darfur – desperately taking refuge where they can on the fringes of overburdened towns and villages, and in equally burdened, sprawling camps.

The search for safety

Many feel they are in danger as long as they are in Darfur, and have crossed the border into Chad – as Zaina did – looking for protection. In response, the UN Refugee Agency is leading partner organisations in 12 camps on the Chadian side of the border, overseeing an emergency relief program supporting around 200,000 people.

Back in Darfur, where most of those who have been displaced remain, we are doing everything we can to keep people like Zaina safe from attack – primarily through our physical presence, including several new mobile protection teams, one of which discovered Zaina’s group. At the same time we are seeing to people’s most urgent needs.

Security is a top concern for people who’ve fled the conflict in Darfur, like these in Seliah camp. Many say they feel reassured by the presence of international agencies. © UNHCR/K.McKinsey

Basic help

Thanks to our donors we have been able to provide the basic things people need when they have lost everything they own. We have distributed over 30,000 pieces of plastic sheeting for shelter in Darfur and Chad, along with clothing, sleeping mats and kitchen kits. And crucially, we’re still co-ordinating the work of partner agencies supplying other essentials, such as food,water, and sanitation, to ensure there are no gaps and no duplication in provision.

Care for women

Some needs are harder to meet – and require great sensitivity. Many women have been raped, and are suffering physically, psychologically, and socially, because of the stigma that rape carries.

‘We hear so many horrific stories,’ says Maeve Murphy, a UN Refugee Agency Community Services Officer. ‘People have a vivid memory of what has happened to them. Many women fear leaving the relative safety of the camps to collect firewood for fear of being attacked and raped.’

While painfully aware that these women may not yet be out of harm’s way, we have helped to set up 23 women’s centres across Darfur, offering counselling, literacy classes, income generation schemes, healthcare and most importantly a safe haven where woman can talk openly – involving women from start to finish, hoping that they will regain their strength and one day be able to take greater control over their lives.

Trusting in us

But ultimately the situation is still about survival. We are supporting, in every way we can, those people who are bravely choosing to return home, the security situation is still extremely volatile as militias continue to attack Darfur’s local population. We believe that this is a trend that will continue and UNHCR is trying to anticipate their needs, both in terms of assistance and protection.

‘Many men feel they can’t leave the camps without fear of being killed,’ says Maeve Murphy, describing the fear that still rules people’s lives. They have a lot of trust in the international community to protect them, which is a huge responsibility.

‘We’re aware of fewer violent incidents where organizations like the African Union and the UN Refugee Agency are working. And I can only hope that our expanding protection work continues to make that difference.’

TOP: A mother and son inside a temporary shelter in Iridimi camp. In order to move the refugees away from the volatile border as quickly as possible, UNHCR first relied on temporary transit sites before moving refugees into more stable tent accommodation as the camp construction was finalised. © UNHCR/H.Caux

Security is a top concern for people who’ve fled the conflict in Darfur, like these in Seliah camp. Many say they feel reassured by the presence of international agencies