02/06/2006

“Controlled anarchy” is how one humanitarian worker described Kalma camp, in South Darfur. Located 17 kilometers outside of Nyala, Kalma camp is also one of Darfur’s largest, with nearly 90,000 inhabitants. Most have lived there for nearly two years, fleeing the fighting between rebel groups and government-sponsored Janjaweed militias.

There is no Sudanese government presence or police in Kalma camp. After the government police attempted to arrest of one of the sheikhs, the angry population chased the police and the government camp managers out, burning down their offices. So the police are now stationed a few kilometers outside the entrance to the camp. In retaliation for being thrown out of the camp, the Sudanese government has cracked down hard on Kalma, blocking all commercial trade to the camp for months. Recently, the African Union set up a police station inside the camp, bringing some modicum of security. AU civilian police, however, have only a couple of vehicles and one translator at each camp, making routine patrolling difficult.

In addition to the commercial blockade which has depleted the market in the camp, the World Food Program didn’t distribute food for months due to an internal dispute over registration. The displaced at Kalma camp depend almost exclusively on international assistance for their subsistence. They are far from their planting fields, their main source of livelihood before the conflict. The women from Kalma venture out of the camps to gather firewood, both for their own use and to sell. They also collect the long grass that grows in the desert to feed their donkeys and to braid mats and rugs. Outside the camps they are at risk of attack from bandits and other armed groups. Rape is common. They also come into conflict with nomads who also depend on the same grass for their cattle and other animals.

In December, Refugees International spoke with a group of women on donkeys who were coming back from gathering firewood outside Kalma camp.

“My name is Kadija (not her real name), and I have been in the camp for over a year and a half. I come from the town of Ta’ash. I just went out with my sister, my aunt, and the wife of one of my brothers to collect firewood and grass for our donkeys and to sell.”

Kadija told RI that she has had to go out more frequently than usual in the past few months. “We have not received food in a long time so we have to go out and gather.”

At other camps around Nyala, the African Union had set up a regular system of firewood patrols. They hadn’t done so yet at Kalma, because of the lack of presence of government of Sudan police. “Since Ramadan,” Khadija told RI, “I have only seen the African Union once. He spoke to us and told us to finish up our gathering and go back.”

Kadija’s aunt added “People say don’t cut the grass – the grass is for the animals. When the nomads see the young girls cutting the grass, they attack them with whips.”

“It is dangerous when we go out to collect firewood. We have been gathering in the north east of the camp, which is more dangerous than the south, but there is grass there. There are also many bandits. One time bandits chased us, took our donkeys, hurt us, we lost our shoes. We try and go in a group. It would be good if the African Union were near us when we collect firewood.”

Advocates Sally Chin and Sarah Martin visited Darfur in December.