U.N. chief ‘humbled’ by refugee camp
Internally displaced persons welcome United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. He visited the Darfur region of western Sudan on Wednesday, promising to step up pressure for a political solution to the regional conflict. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, ZOHRA BENSEMRA
September 6, 2007
EL FASHER, Sudan — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Wednesday he was “shocked and humbled” by a visit to a Darfur refugee camp where thousands cheered him as he pledged to step up efforts to bring peace to the war-torn region.
Thousands of refugees at Al Salaam camp in North Darfur chanted “Welcome! Welcome Ban Ki-Moon!” when the U.N. chief entered the camp, home to 46,000 refugees.
“We must bring peace and development. We must protect human rights. We must help all of you return to your homes and lands,” Ban told the crowd at a water tower in the camp.
The scene contrasted with his visit earlier Wednesday to the U.N. compound in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which was disrupted by a group of about a dozen protesters.
“We don’t care for U.N.! This is our country!” the group of mostly women shouted in Arabic in what appeared to be an orchestrated event. “You want to destroy us. We will not allow you here in Darfur.”
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The clamor raised security concerns, forcing Ban to change part of his schedule Wednesday. But after returning from the refugee camp later in the day, the U.N. chief focused on the plight of the Darfur victims.
“I was so shocked and humbled … I was shocked at the poverty and hardship all these tens of thousands of people were undergoing. I really wanted to give them even a small sign of hope,” Ban told reporters.
Ban promised to step up efforts to end the protracted conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and left more than 2.5 million displaced and urged the world to be more sympathetic to the millions whose lives have been uprooted.
“I really urge the international community to help them return to their homes and land, give them a sense of security and bring peace as soon as possible. We must bring enduring peace, durable peace and security here,” he said.
The trip to Darfur and the rest of Sudan is Ban’s first since taking over as U.N. chief in January. He said he would discuss what he saw at Al Salaam during talks Thursday with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and other government officials in Khartoum.
