04/18/2005

Nearing the end of our mission to eastern Chad, the Refugees International team arrived at Am Nabak camp, originally constructed as a transit camp for refugees from Darfur being relocated from the border.  Now Am Nabak is more or less a permanent camp.  Because of its close proximity to the Sudan border and because it lacks water, UNHCR hopes to move the camp to a more secure location, although refugees clearly prefer to stay where they are.  Walking through the arid camp, we encountered a small group of young Sudanese men and women who were willing to share their stories. As in most camps in eastern Chad, teenagers and young men were almost absent in the camps. Having their perspective is very important, as this age group is often ignored.

Talking as a group, the young men expressed their concerns of many youth in the camp.  Mohammed, a twenty-one-year-old young man, fled the violence in west Darfur because of repeated attacks by the government forces and the Janjaweed.  During the last attack, his village was completely destroyed and his entire family killed, forcing him to flee on his own to Chad.

Asked what his biggest concerns were since arriving ten months ago in Am Nabak, Mohammed responded without hesitation. Pointing to his friends seated around us he stated that, “Life has really changed since I left my village and came here. Before the attacks, many of us were entering university and some were about to finish high school. Now there is nothing for us. We cannot continue our studies.” This frustration was echoed by all the young men and the one young woman in the tent.

Abdullah, another frustrated young man, hobbled down to the mat from his makeshift wheelchair to share his views. He told us how he was nearing the end of high school when the attacks began in his village in west Darfur. From the time the violence erupted until today, over two years have passed since he has been in school. The others agreed with him that their future was passing them by as they waited in the camp.

While schools had finally opened a few months back for the younger children, for the many young men and women of the camp, education had halted. They do not have the opportunity to enroll in secondary school to further their studies or take part in structured programs targeted specifically for their age group. There is a shortage of skilled teachers who can provide secondary education. According to this group, many of the specialized teachers have either been killed in Sudan or have gone elsewhere.

Many young people, Abdullah told us, suffered physically and emotionally as a result of the brutal violence experienced in Sudan. They spoke of many young people, including small children, that have had some limbs cut off by the Janjaweed. There are many like Abdullah with physical disabilities, but many more suffer silently, living with the nightmare they witnessed.