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Press Room > Oxfam Ireland Press Release February 28th 2005 PRESS RELEASE Every morning in hundreds of camps and towns across Darfur, nearly 2 million people made homeless by fighting wake up to another day of harassment, robbery and violent attacks. Every week there are reports of women and girls being viciously beaten or raped while collecting water and firewood. Some of them die as a result of their injuries. As the violence continues to rage, the international community and parties to the conflict must urgently step up efforts to protect civilians in Darfur. "I recently returned from a 1,000-km road trip through South and West Darfur, where the level of violence and suffering is appalling. In the Wadi Salih province, armed militias prowl the countryside while displaced people are living in fear, effectively imprisoned in the camps and towns where they have sought refuge. Men can’t go outside these settlements for fear of being killed. Women agonise over whether the need to collect water and firewood so they can cook for their families outweighs the threat of being beaten or raped," said Adrian McIntyre, a spokesperson for Oxfam. The African Union mission in Darfur has a vital role in ending violence against civilians. Oxfam’s team in Kebkabiya reports that the visible presence of African Union ceasefire monitors and troops has helped to improve security in this North Darfur town. But the scale of the crisis in Darfur exceeds the capacity of the current AU mission to respond. To date, only half of the 3,320 personnel promised for Darfur have arrived. Shortages of funding, logistical support, communications equipment, accommodation and transport have also hindered the mission. The AU has never even visited some of the places where threats to civilians are greatest. Delays in deploying to the most volatile areas of Darfur mean that hundreds of thousands of people remain vulnerable to attack. "We’ve seen that an AU presence helps to reduce threats of violence in the limited areas where they are deployed. But the current AU mission needs more resources and personnel to do the job properly. A fully expanded AU mission in Darfur – including additional troops, ceasefire monitors and civilian police – must be deployed at once. The international community must do whatever it takes to strengthen the ability of the AU mission to protect civilians in Darfur from violent attacks," said Caroline Nursey, Oxfam’s Regional Director. Oxfam Ireland continues to work in the area. For further information contact: Ireland: Paul Dunphy 01 6040706 |