22 November 2008
Another Kiwi nurse heads to Darfur
1 June 2007
By Amy Campbell: Te Waha Nui Online
The numbers of people being killed or left homeless continue to rise in Darfur, Sudan, as another New Zealand nurse enters the region.
More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been forced from their homes since the government and rebels began fighting in 2003.
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| Judy and field officer Immanuel in Uganda, 2004. |
Auckland nurse Judy Owen has just left for Darfur on her 16th trip with the International Committee of the Red Cross – the branch of the Red Cross that visits places of conflict. She brings the number of Red Cross Kiwis in Sudan and neighbouring Chad to 10.
“When I look at the figures [of death and displacement] I’m not really shocked because I’ve worked in enough places to prepare myself. But I do get a huge sense of sadness that one group of people could do that to another.
“Bombs, raids and rapes – that’s something you never get used to,” says Owen.
Government accused of genocide
The Sudanese government and the Janjaweed, a supporting Arab militia, have been accused of genocide against Darfur’s black African population, resulting in backlash from rebel groups.
Owen says victims of village destruction lack basic necessities like food, water and medicine.
This causes diseases like malaria and dengue fever.
She will be in Zalingei, Darfur, for up to a year, overseeing the health programmes the Sudanese Red Crescent – the Muslim title for the Red Cross – run in the surrounding areas. Owen’s tasks will include reviewing local public health, setting up clinics and managing medical supplies.
“The key thing is to try and support locals as much as possible. When the conflict is over, and we leave, the local infrastructures will need to keep going.”
International Red Cross Committee president Jakob Kellenberger said the initial focus had been on the camps for displaced peoples, but has now shifted to reaching those still in their villages.
“It was and still is a priority for us to help people to stay at home rather than joining the camps.”
Worldwide involvement
The fighting has led to the largest deployment of Red Cross aid workers worldwide.
New Zealand Red Cross communications assistant Kelly Mitchell says 10 is the largest number the organisation has ever sent into the region.
Ms Owen stresses the International Committee of the Red Cross is a humanitarian organisation and “very staunch” on remaining neutral during conflicts, unlike groups such as the UN who are also involved in peace-keeping.
“Our total aim or bottom line is to assist all victims of conflict regardless of who’s fighting who.
“If there are three sides in a conflict, there are three sets of victims and we go in to help each."
