Darfur - Day 2

The Road To Darfur (and back again)
a travel journey with documentary filmmaker Chip Duncan


Please note that any opinions expressed in this blog are those of Chip Duncan and do not represent any other organizations or individuals. Darfur is a place of constant change and any statistical references are approximate and may change rapidly. If you are reading this after January, 2008, please verify any information with up-to-date and verifiable resources.


Day 2 – Jan. 2, 2008 – Because I will be returning to Kenya on January 10th for a work project here, the first half of my day is spent packing and preparing for Sudan. The rioting is continuing and many tourists are now evacuating Kenya, especially the port city of Mombassa. I have a 2:00 airport departure and do my best to organize quickly.

With the television again set to BBC News, a new report brings my trip to Darfur into greater perspective. I’ve spent weeks preparing to visit Sudan and Darfur and there’s no doubt that my own anxiety is heightened over tensions there. Darfur is a war zone. Conditions there for the roughly 2 million displaced people are horrible … and it’s considered an unsafe and difficult place for humanitarian workers as well. How unsafe remains to be seen, but I’ve taken every precaution and am mentally and physically ready for the trip.

That said, reports are now in that a US diplomat from USAID has been murdered in the capital city of Khartoum in the early morning of January 1st. Thirty three year old John Granville is the first American diplomat murdered in Sudan since a US diplomat was killed in 1973. Both Granville and his driver were killed around 4:00 a.m. at an intersection in Khartoum.

Until now, I’d been thinking of Khartoum as a relatively safe city for foreigners.

From what I can gather on the t.v. news, the U.S. reaction to the killing is subdued as authorities wait for more facts. Apparently, the FBI is sending in an investigator who will work alongside Sudanese authorities. Considering I’m headed into the same area, I spend some time with my hosts at Relief International (RI.org) discussing security concerns in Khartoum. It’s considered a safe city for travelers and the notion of the killing as random violence by thugs holds some merit. Our preparation has been thorough and I fly in to Khartoum, arriving at 8:30 p.m.

I think about how humanitarian workers have to deal with these sorts of threats to personal safety every day. I’ve long believed them to be the real unsung heroes of our world today. They approach every day unarmed with anything but food and medicine for those who need it and an unusually positive attitude.

Fortunately for me, this isn’t my first time in a war zone nor my first with an NGO doing relief work. I visited Pakistan with Relief International in the winter of 2006 to cover the damage and relief efforts following their devastating earthquake in which more than 80,000 perished (*see DuncanEntertainment.com). I also journeyed throughout Afghanistan (yes, drove – as in two 4x4s covering more than 1500 miles armed with only a satellite phone and our goodwill) with a team from Save the Children in the spring of 2005. In both cases, I was traveling with my friend Mike Speaks. An international guide, Mike was always there to watch my back.

Now, as the plane is landing, I’m looking out the window for signs of familiarity. Comical as it may seem, there are flashing holiday-type lights on some of the buildings near the airport. At least they’re festive, I think. The boulevards near the airport are also wide and full of cars. Somehow flying into an active city teaming with people is a hopeful sign. People are not confined to their homes.

Dr. Wali, the dynamic country director for Relief International, meets me at the airport. We have the usual dynamics with customs officials – but with a twist. For the first time in more than 20 years of international travel as a documentary filmmaker, I’m asked to either give up my cameras or pay a sizable bond in US dollars (yeah, right, I think, like I’ll ever see that money again). Since I’m here to document the humanitarian work of RI, we have little choice but to pay the bond. With luck, we’ll get it back when I depart a week later.

By western standards, Sudan is a strict nation ruled by Islamic law called sharia. There’s no alcohol allowed (which dramatically limits social life) and the influence of Islam is significant throughout the city.

Dr. Wali escorts me to my accommodations in a guest house where I meet up with my fellow traveler – a Milwaukee-based businessman with a serious interest in the work of Relief International and helping people in Darfur. Bob’s a great guy with a big heart – and he’s also feeling the strain of 30 hours of sleepless travel and anxiety over the diplomat slaying less than 24 hours earlier. We agree to limit our time outdoors at night and to follow all security protocol established by RI. It’s quickly clear that the team, which is largely comprised of Sudanese nationals, is well versed in logistics and security matters.

Sleep is uneasy for me. As a westerner, it always takes me a few days to get used to the Muslim “call to prayer” emanating from the mosques several times each day. It’s especially difficult to sleep when it begins full volume at 4:00 a.m. I’m sure the locals have long been incorporated into their daily practice.

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Thanks for following along on The Road To Darfur. Please visit tomorrow for Day 3. If you have questions or thoughts, please feel free to email me at this blog site. You can also visit the websites for Relief International (RI.org) or DuncanEntertainment.com for more information. Additional photos of Pakistan and Afghanistan can be accessed from the home page of DuncanEntertainment.com.