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Resettlement would have to take into account negotiations with the Chadian government, with the U.N. And at the moment, the big issue and the biggest need is to provide support for the refugees so they can be sheltered from the rains that are going to come soon, so that they can be provided with food.

And from the stories we heard today, the children may require some type of social support. So one of the programs we are planning to start in the near future is child protection, [in which] we develop a child-friendly environment, ensuring that the kids have opportunities to continue with some form of education. They have playing facilities, their health needs are being attended to, and we also ensure that children are not being exploited or being recruited for things like fighting and so on.

How does this crisis compare with other crises in Africa?

Africa has many crises, but this is certainly one of the large ones. More than a million, and some people would say 2 million, people have been displaced in the Darfur region in a short span of time. There has been widespread looting, killing, and just razing of villages-and some cases of rape. The women that we talked to have described some horror stories. We understand that even the children at night would just cry out as they relive-I presume-the horrors of what happened to them as the Arab militia were going around just looting and killing people.

What else can North American Christians do to help in this situation?

I think the biggest thing Christian organizations and churches can do at this time is to demonstrate to these people the love of Christ by responding to their humanitarian needs. From our experience in working in other regions where there is a large Muslim population, which is the case here, our deeds have spoken louder, have been the first stage in even introducing the gospel-by way of showing them that God loves them and that we do not discriminate against any groups of people when it comes to meeting their human needs.

And then, secondly, Christian organizations need to join the voice of the others in advocating for justice and the return to peace in this particular region as well as in other places where they've been fighting for one reason or another. We need to lobby the U.N. and the international community to ensure there is justice and peace restored to Darfur and that these people can go back and rebuild their homes.

What is the long-term solution in Sudan?

The Western world really does not fully understand that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and in many places in this region, has a long history. It's not something that can be solved by just one peace accord being signed. Various groups of people need to be given the opportunity for self-determination. And in a country like Sudan, it's not really one country. You have the south, which is Bantu and largely Christian, as opposed to the north, which is Arab and largely Islamic. Some form of government that takes into account the needs of various groups of people is necessary for a long-term solution.

But whatever is decided, I think it is important that the needs of the local communities and their leaders are taken into account and that these peace accords are not just signed in the U.N. and elsewhere. The people and their communities, church groups, the civil society organizations that are reaching out, as well as those who work among those people, need to be involved in a comprehensive peace process.

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September 2004, Vol. 48, No. 9