The genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan is now in its fourth year. Gerald Martone, MS, RN, director of humanitarian affairs at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), took this and the cover photo during a visit to the region in January.
About the cover photo Martone says, "A nurse is taking the blood pressure of a pregnant patient in Kalma Camp in Darfur. The patient presented with complications of pregnancy at a clinic run by the IRC. In this remote region of Darfur, the lack of access to health care can make pregnancy a life-threatening condition. There is a saying here: 'a woman who is pregnant has one foot in the grave.'"
The photo above is of people searching for firewood. According to Martone, "In the barren region of Darfur, women and girls spend three to four hours a day foraging for scraps of wood, often traveling great distances from the refugee camps where they live. This often leads to incidents of rape and abuse by militias, bandits, and rebels thriving in the lawless desert. Sending women and girls outside the camps for this task is a stark reality of life in Darfur. If men were sent they would be killed, and boys would be abducted into fighting forces." The IRC reported that in August 2006 alone there were more than 200 rapes outside Kalma Camp.
There are no official reports of the number of deaths resulting from the genocide, but the IRC estimated that as of December 2006 it might have been as high as 300,000. An estimated 2.4 million people have been displaced, with many finding their way to refugee camps, where women and children make up 80% of the population. Sudanese government interference with humanitarian efforts in the camps has resulted in dire shortages of food, water, and medical aid. Humanitarian workers can't reach many areas because the risk of violence against them is too great.
Seven thousand African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops are monitoring the region without significant international logistical or tactical support. In 2006 the United Nations (UN) Security Council authorized dispatching troops to protect civilians, but the Sudanese government has resisted. As we went to press Sudan had agreed to allow 3,000 UN peacekeepers to join the AU troops, but whether they will honor the agreement is uncertain.
To find out what you can do to help end the genocide and assist the people of Darfur, go to http://www.theirc.org or http://www.savedarfur.org.
Karen Roush, MSN, FNP, RN, editorial director