Global City

The crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan is getting increasingly severe. Over 200,000 people have died and over 2 million are now refugees. Asad Ahmad went to the region with a London charity which is one of the few humanitarian aid agencies left in what is in effect a war zone. They face the threat of rebel forces and the Janjaweed militia - who've been blamed by many for the mass slaughter of innocent lives.

Darfur in west Sudan is moving up the political agenda as the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown talks about the importance of peace in the area. The United Nations has sanctioned thousands of troops to the region and actor George Clooney has lent his voice to the call for action.

In London, a concert is planned later this month to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis - but this is no ordinary gig. Bono, Sting and Madonna will not be making an appearance - in their place will be Sami Yusuf, Outlandish and Kareem Salama.

They may not be household names for most Londoners, but amongst the British Muslim community, they are all pop stars who will ensure demand for tickets is high.

Their Ambassador Sami Yusuf, from Ealing in west London, will headline the event. He decided to see for himself the situation which he has heard so much about. "I can not believe it" were his words as we arrived at the first camp, "nothing can prepare you for this. This is why it is so important British Muslims stand up and call for peace in Darfur and all other areas in the world where there is conflict. We have to do something".

danger for aid workers

Darfur is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous places for Aid workers to be. The number of attacks on charity personal has increased in recent weeks which has made major organisations reconsider their efforts in the area. Since April 2006 the number of humanitarian workers in Darfur has dropped by 18%. In the same period the number of refugees needing help has risen by over half a million.

The short fall in help is being burdened by the remaining charities like Islamic Relief. They operate from Walthamstow but command donations of tens of millions of pounds a year. They have spanned the globe for 23 years and recently they even rushed thousands of bottles of water to Gloucester after the floods for people who had their supplies cut off.

The core of their operation, however, lie in places like Darfur where thousands of refugees rely on food parcels, basic medical care and shelter delivered by the charity.

They help people like Khadija. She recently arrived at the Dourti Refugee Camp in Al-Genina with her three young children. She came after losing her husband and she was desperate for help. Protecting the camps from chaos and confusion are rules for the refugees.

They must register with the camp and obtain a yellow card - a life line for families. Khadija had not received her card when we met her and so she survived on handouts from other refugees. Those refugees had themselves lost relatives, some had been attacked and others raped.

traumatised refugees

This is the month of Ramadhan for Muslims around the world, the month of fasting, and even amongst hungry, traumatised refugees, there's room for generocity. "I'm fasting" Khadija tells me, "my children are not, but it's as if they are fasting. There is no food for them." Khadija then goes back into her shelter made up of rubbish collected from the camp.

Haleema tells me "we had a house with 15 rooms. We had chickens, cattle, goat and lots of land but the Janjaweed took it all. They came during the day and robbed us of everything. They came again at night and started firing their guns. Villagers all around me were killed, but I escaped with my children. This is all I have now."

The feeling in the camps is generally one of fear. Attacks on refugees continue as various bandits, rebel groups and tribes fight for power even in the designated areas which should be a safe haven for those most in need. Nearly everyone you speak to has a story of how they have lost relatives during the civil war. Other stories of mutilation, rape and violent attacks are also common.

It is, however, striking how the one request from refugees was not for more food or clothes - but simply for the world to help bring peace to the area. Many refugees have pleasant memories of living side by side with African and Arab Darfurians.

ongoing conflict

Many have lost their homes, land, livestock and relatives but there seems to be a general agreement that harbouring bitterness during the ongoing conflict will solve nothing.

The blame in the eyes of much of the International Community for the situation in Darfur has been laid squarely on the doorstep of the Sudanese Government and Janjaweed militia. There is strong reason for this as it is generally accepted that the Government of Sudan worked with the Arab Janjaweed nomads to quash attacks by rebel groups on government bases several years ago.

However, the ferocity and scale of the reprisal attacks has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and nearly 4 million people have been displaced from their homes and from their land.

The current situation has become complicated with a myriad of rebel groups roaming the area together with tribal gangs and soldiers. Added to the mix are criminals and bandits which make the whole area incredibly difficult to work and live in.

Senior British Diplomats in Sudan admit that bringing peace to the Darfur won't be easy as a deal now needs to be struck between so many different groups.

'catastrophic disaster'

Hope is pinned to the peace talks in Libya at the end of the month. At stake is the security of millions.

In the meantime Islamic Relief, Save the Children, Oxfam and others do what they can to keep hunger at bay and deliver essentials. Jehangir Malik, the UK Manager for Islamic Relief says "the situation is becoming difficult and we're under pressure to pull out, but these people need our help and our generous donors from the UK want us to help.

"None of our work would be possible if it wasn't for the people of Britain but the solution to improving these people's situation is not food packets, it's peace".

The people of Darfur, according to the UN haven't suffered genocide, but there's general agreement that they are experiencing a catastrophic disaster.