Sudan refugees ask donors to focus on comprehensive peace

Sudanese living in eastern Chad refugee camps have expressed their opposition to the upcoming Doha donors’ conference and urged the international community to focus on promoting comprehensive peace in Sudan instead. The donors’ conference is aimed at raising funds for the development and reconstruction Darfur within the framework of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD). Qatar’s government will host the summit scheduled for 7 and 8 April in Doha. In interviews with Radio Dabanga, sheikhs noted that despite the needs in Darfur, the priority for the region at this moment should be improving security, stopping the wars and promoting peace.They stressed that funds raised during the conference should not be directed to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), which would use the resources to arm its militias or to buy weapons to murder and displace innocent civilians. Yasin Yahya Abdul Karim, deputy head of the Gaga camp, wondered how Darfur could be reconstructed at a time when many of its residents are displaced persons or refugees. “If security is lacking even in big cities, how could the deserted villages be reconstructed?”, he asked. The head of camp Farchana, Mohamed Dafalla, affirmed the priority for Darfur should be the promotion of security and the realization of comprehensive peace. This would enable all Sudanese and Darfurians to jointly implement reconstruction projects and manage support funds, instead of leaving these responsibilities to the NCP.   Touloum’s chief, Haider Gardia, said his camp is still daily receiving refugees who are fleeing bombings by the NCP and attacks by its militias. He said there is no guarantee that donors’ funding would not be used to support these operations. Gardia demanded the international community to send troops to Darfur to protect civilians, and stop the violations carried out by Khartoum and its militias before gathering money for Sudan. The latter, he said, would mean they support the “manipulative, tyrannical” regime of the NCP. Ali Yagoub, leader of camp Treguine, asked “If the international community cannot send representatives to verify the reality of the situation in Darfur -including the spread of pro-government militias and aerial bombings against civilians- how could the region be reconstructed?” He demanded donors to direct their support towards humanitarian needs of refugees and displaced instead of towards the NCP, which “continues forcing people out of their lands in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile”.North Darfur displaced have also urged donor countries not to make financial contributions to the government of Sudan saying the money would go to “militias and bombs”.Photo: eastern Chad refugee camps Related: Donors’ money will go to militias, bombs-Darfur displaced (2 April 2013)