"It does not at all mean that there is peace" 

Villages are under fire while international politicians debate. The civil war in Western Sudan has been dragging on for four years and those most affected are civilians. Two million people have fled the massacres and half of the refugees are children. SOS Children's Villages provides emergency relief in the huge refugee camp Abu Shok near Al Fashir, the capital of north Darfur. Teams from SOS Children's Villages have been providing support to traumatised women and children there since 2004. An SOS co-worker tells us about the current situation in the camp.

How do people live in Abu Shok?

The refugee camp is not closed off; it is a group of huts and scanty shelters. There is no surveillance and no fence around the camp and therefore little security. The camp is developing into a new part of the city of Al Fashir. The camp inhabitants build their huts, reinforce them with clay bricks, and some parts of the camp resemble "normal" Sudanese villages. Since no one can guarantee the security of the refugees in their villages of origin, and most of these villages have been entirely ravaged, I presume that many refugees will stay in Al Fashir for good. Refugees are often attacked in the areas surrounding the camp.

How much security is there at present?

At present all is calm in Al Fashir. This is to say that there have been no attacks from the Janjawid troops for a month, which does not at all mean that there is peace. At the moment, the fighting seems to have moved on to the region bordering Chad.

Have the Janjawid left the Al Fashir region?

There are still several Janjawid camps around Al Fashir. These groups are independent and government control over them is limited. They are still a threat.

Do the African Union troops protect the people in Darfur?

The African Union peace-keeping troops are neither sufficiently equipped nor trained to cope with such a task. At the end of March the peace-keeping troops remained in their camps, since their translators were not being paid and went on strike.

UN troops are to be sent to Darfur. Do they hope to attain peace? How do the people and the SOS Children's Villages co-workers in Darfur see that?

That is hard to say. On the short term, robust UN troops will surely lessen the tension. In the long term, however, a solution involving all parties must be found.