ICRC voices: Dispatch from Darfur

My time in Darfur has recalibrated my perspective on things I have previously taken for granted: peace, the rule of law, public services. In the UK, as in many other parts of the world, we grow up expecting a safety net because it has always been there. But when you work in a place where those things don’t exist, you begin to understand how precious – and how fragile - they really are. And when peace collapses, civilians must be protected from the consequences.

After all, it is civilians who are at the core of our work in Sudan. Together with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, we are facilitating hundreds of phone calls for people in Tawila to help them stay in touch with their loved ones. We are sending medical supplies to the doctor and his clinic. We have provided cash assistance for more than 130,000 camp residents. But in a region reeling from such intolerable violence, I worry – in fact, I know – we will not be able to reach everyone. 

If I could ask one thing of the public, policymakers, or journalists outside Sudan, it would be this: don’t forget about its people. Civilians must be protected, and the world must pay attention to their suffering. 

This is the spirit of international humanitarian law (IHL), which places human dignity at its core. Those carrying weapons, no matter what side they are on, must respect IHL and take constant care to protect civilians. Unless all parties urgently recommit to the rules of war — and unless the world listens to the plight of civilians – I fear such patterns of violence will be repeated, and even more lives will be lost.

As I left Tawila to return to the ICRC office in West Darfur, I thought of the people I’d met - their quiet strength as they try to piece their lives back together. All of them wish for a better future. But until the fighting stops and civilians are protected, that will remain out of reach for many in Sudan.