Kidnapping in Darfur - For a Few Dollars More

by Michael Bear

category: Humanitarian Relief

Published August 31, 2009 @ 07:31AM PT

There's a fascinating Reuters article from last week on the recent surge in aid worker kidnappings in Darfur, and the impact it's having on relief operations.  Since March, eight aid workers have been kidnapped; two of whom are still held in captivity.  Another aid worker kidnapped just over the border in Chad is also still being held.

[Update - news reports are coming in that two civilian staff of UNAMID - the joint UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur - were abducted on Saturday.  The kidnappers are apparently demanding a $500,000 ransom.]

The motives behind the kidnapping are opaque, but money certainly plays a role.  According to the article: "There is little doubt money plays a part. Banditry is rife in Darfur. The kidnappers of the Aide Medicale Internationale staff told journalists they were making a political protest. But insiders told Reuters the abductors never mentioned anything beyond money during negotiations."

The animosity that the Sudanese Government shows towards NGOs might also play a factor - the first kidnappings occurred after the Government expelled a number of NGOs in March, accusing them of aiding the International Criminal Court.

The kidnappings and related security concerns - on top of the March expulsions - have had a severe impact on humanitarian operations in Darfur.  As the article explains:

"Humanitarian staff feel increasingly under siege. Three years ago, most lived with the risk of being car-jacked or briefly detained outside remote bases. Today, violent car-jackings have become common inside Darfur's three main urban centres. Last month an aid worker was injured when attackers opened fire inside his group's compound in the capital of west Darfur, El Geneina.

The number of international aid workers working in remote areas outside Darfur's three main cities plummeted after the March expulsions and has stayed low. Many foreign groups are resorting to managing their projects remotely, sometimes contracting local organisations to carry out projects. This cuts down on their ability to monitor work and pushes more vulnerable local staff into the front line. Staff say they have faced verbal threats and harassment since the ICC warrant. Recruitment has become harder, morale has fallen and institutional memory has drained away as staff leave."

Overall, aid agencies have been able to maintain basic services to much of the population, but there's increasingly little margin of error.

[Food distribution in Darfur - Photo from Peter Casier's photostream on Flickr]