Reports from Practical Action staff in Northern Darfur

These pages are retained for archive information only. They will remain on this website as information here is linked from other websites, but for the current situation in Darfur please view our most recent reports.

Practical Action Sudan has worked in Darfur for over 15 years. Its programmes aim to increase security for a people often faced by drought and tribal clashes. Now, with insecurity escalating, ITDGPractical Action staff report on the emergency.

Deserted markets tell a story

Mohamed Majzoub, Country Director, ITDGPractical Action Sudan, July 2004

A vendor at an empty Darfur market

Whenever I visit El Fashir town, I always go for a special shopping trip with a list of fruit and vegetables to take back home to Khartoum. The markets in Khartoum have a variety of fruit and vegetables, but the ones in North Darfur are unique in their size, shape and most importantly their taste. They are definitely purely organic and the prices are unbeatable: a 10kg box of tomatoes costs less than £1.00.

The produce is always plentiful and when I go into the vegetable market at El Fashir I have to find my way carefully between the piles of vegetables displayed by a huge number of vendors, each shouting out and cajoling their customers to buy.

I visited El Fashir recently and went to the market a day prior to my departure. I was shocked. There were only three vendors selling their fruit and vegetables wholesale. A few others were selling smaller amounts to a handful of customers.

Thousands of displaced people wait for aid after being forced to flee their homes.

I asked them where the other vendors were and what had happened to all the produce. The answers they gave all came back to insecurity caused by the fighting in the area. People said that the prices of all goods have gone up due to a shortage of fuel. The armed factions and bandits have been targeting fuel tankers and other trucks. As truck owners are risk averse, they have stopped travelling to Darfur and trade is suffering as a consequence.

It is obvious that Khartoum is also seeing the effects. It is already the season for the famous Jebel Marrah (Abu Surrah) oranges that generally flood most urban markets at this time of year. But none of these oranges can be found in Khartoum now. This is definitely the result of the conflict, as the orange farmers are unable to access the market and maybe even their own farms due to fighting. It is also possible that their crops have failed because irrigation systems have been looted by the Janjaweed militia, who attack villages and steal anything of value that can be carried on the backs of their camels or horses – including water.

Nowhere to go: these people are living in the open without shelter or supplies

The general public are keeping a candle of hope alight. Most people are still optimistic and believe that things will improve, but everyone is worried about the number of people displaced by this conflict – over one million in the three western states.

The limited amount of humanitarian assistance that is getting through to affected areas is a deep concern. The roads and routes to the west are clearly dangerous but the need to increase aid is critical. The Government and the UN are making efforts to ensure all roads are secure and passable so that aid convoys and workers can reach the people in need. With the involvement of the international community, we all share hope with the people of Darfur that their lives will one day be back to normal.

Sustainability goes up in smoke

Mohammed Majzoub, Country Director, ITDGPractical Action Sudan, July 2004

Blacksmiths at work in the Kebkabiya workshop before it was destroyed in the current fighting.

Five years ago, ITDGPractical Action executed a project with small-scale farmers in Kebkabiya, an area in North Darfur. The work involved building the capacity of local blacksmiths who were trained by ITDGPractical Action to make animal-drawn ploughs for use by the farmers.

The blacksmiths in the area came together and were supported as a group. A premises was built that included a workshop and a store where they could keep raw materials and finished products. In addition, a revolving fund of £1,250 (equivalent Sudanese Dinars) was set up for the group so that members could buy scrap metal from Khartoum.

The men themselves set up home development strategies and they successfully managed their new assets. Over the course of two years, the size of the fund multiplied eightfold and the blacksmiths' livelihoods improved a great deal.

Their social status was raised and their children went to school. They were able to improve their houses and some even bought battery TVs and other goods for their homes. The project and its outcome were a good example of a successful and sustainable intervention.

Smoke rising over Kebkabiya village: the whole village, including the blacksmiths' workshop and store, was looted and then destroyed by fire.

A few months ago, one of the blacksmiths' society members came to the ITDGPractical Action office in El Fashir and told staff how terrible the situation was in his area. Their village was burnt, the corrugated metal roofing was ripped off the workshop and the store was looted by people from enemy tribes. He said: "I buried the cash we got under the ground. I was afraid that they would kill me to take it if I carried the money with me. I am hoping to go back sometime and restart the business again and rehabilitate our home, we need protection from those who kill for no reason."

This is a clear example of the effect of conflict on sustainable development interventions. The hard work of many people has been destroyed and resources that could have generated income for years have been lost.

• other projects working with blacksmiths in Sudan
  (NB: this link does not refer to the project in Kebkabiya referred to above)

Intermediate Technology Development Group Sudan
Reg Charity No. Sudan 13787