IDP Camp Rejects Aid

The Kalma IDP camp in Southern Darfur plans to turn away aid from international and national organizations until foreign humanitarian groups are allowed to return to the country.

Kalma’s chief sheik explains the reasoning behind the camp’s decision –

We want the international aid groups back…if we allow them to distribute the food, then the government will be able to say to the world that everything is OK in Kalma.

It is quite obvious that everything is not OK in Kalma.

The camp’s water pumps are not working due to a lack of fuel, forcing residents to turn to a polluted nearby river instead. Additionally, several of the camp’s health clinics have closed their doors.

And if that is not enough, a meningitis outbreak is wreaking havoc on the camp. Doctors Without Borders was just about to vaccinate 100,000 people in Darfur against meningitis when it was kicked out of Sudan by government order. The chances of the vaccination campaign continuing despite the absence of the aid organization are slim.

Although numbers have yet to be confirmed, reports from the Kalma camp document 85 cases of meningitis, including several deaths – just in the past two weeks.