Category Archives: Chad

Give to the Darfur & Chad Appeal

For two hours our small plane droned its way south-eastwards from Khartoum towards our destination of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.  Straining through the porthole to view the landscape, I could see only a great expanse of sand and scrub, with the occasional wadi or dry river bed.  As the rainy season had only ended a few weeks earlier, there was still a trace of water in some places, but not for much longer in the great heat of Sudan.

Then suddenly the tone of the plane’s engines dropped and we were coming down to land.  As we drew closer, those dull forms were materialising before our eyes: a settlement of mud huts with pointed, thatched roofs rushed past, and close-by a group of women in brightly coloured robes were bending low to tend their crops.

A large man in a white billowing jalabiya rode away on a small motor bike, leaving a trail of dust behind, perhaps heading for the mosque as it was a Friday morning.  In the distance a herd of nodding goats was foraging for grass, followed at a distance by their goatherd wielding a long stick.  These were all welcome signs that in this troubled land people were still going about their normal life.

With a screech and a bump we were on the ground and within moments we were outside the aircraft in the searing, dry heat of South Darfur once again.  Our driver was there to meet us, no longer the proud custodian of a robust and comfortable 4×4 vehicle, but in a plain inconspicuous saloon car to avoid drawing attention to our assets.  Both the UN and NGOs have experienced a lot of car-jackings over the past two years, so it is wise to take these precautions.

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