Tensions continue to mount but mostly below the surface

Khartoum returned to 'normal' or however close to normal one can return after the scene that unfolded on May 11 and 12. The sights and sounds were captured on the international press from BBC to Al Jazeera. [Click HERE and HERE for videos for biased but colorful Al Jazeera coverage] So I assume you have seen the helicopter gunships firing rockets into the most densely populated areas of the city because that is the area from which JEM chose to launch their attack.

Discussions with Darfurians about the attack and the act of war in an dense urban setting have been revealing. Some will tell you that the government is at fault for firing at a group that was only going to attack selected targets. Others will tell you that the government has not gone far enough to secure the city from further attacks. President Bashir addressed the nation today to let the armed forces and residents of Khartoum how much he appreciated their resolve and ability to thwart this attack against them. It was an invigorating speech but did not reveal the next step for this nation. See excerpts of the speech here

And the fact that we still do not know what is to come has all the NGOs here preparing for the worst. Well, almost. The worst would be full scale war and evacuation to another country to sit it out. Most here do not expect the situation to be quite so bad. Even if there is an escalation, most do not expect to be without access to food or water for more than a few days, so people are stocking up. The price of bottled water in town jumped a few Sudanese pounds and my usual go-to-guy would not budge on the new price. I have a laundry list of products to buy tomorrow in case it does indeed come to sitting in a compound for a week waiting this thing out.

Most NGOs have compounds (joint office and residence) or group homes, so the thought of 'hibernation' - the term of art used to describe the decision to remain in place until the storm has passed - is not quite so bad. I do not know if the experience is quite so appealing to do the waiting alone. At least I have neighbors who could be a source of company if the waiting gets lonely.

I have managed to secure a ticket to fly to Khartoum this weekend, so I will be able to leave Darfur to get some perspective and then return early next week. The program work is really building and we have to keep the momentum going. No plans to put things on hold unless we really need to do so. It is interesting being in this environment where people look at you funny when you ask whether they were thinking about relocating (another term of art meaning getting non local staff out of the city but not out of the country). Most are here with the expectation that there will be violent conflict now and then. The mandatory 2 week rest and relaxation (R&R) breaks every 3 months plus 30 days annual leave is meant to compensate for the added stress.

Cant say if there will actually be a flight this weekend. Lots of flights are being reserved, but cancellations are outside the airline's control for now. So I will just cross my fingers about that possibility and in the meantime focus on work.

Did I mention that it is crazy hot here right now? I wake up with a pool of water in the indentation that my head makes in the pillow. Have to think more seriously about moving one of the swamp coolers into my bedroom.

Hope this entry finds you are well and in good spirits. Despite it all, I am enjoying my time in Darfur and still feel like I have made the right decision to come here.