SUDANLOCATION : Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea.

AREA: 1,861,484 sq km

MAJOR CITY : KHARTOUM (capital) 5.021 million people

POPULATION: (including South Sudan) 45,047,502

ETHNIC GROUPS : Sudanese Arab (approximately 70%), Fur, Beja, Nuba, Fallata.

RELIGION : Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority

LANGUAGE: Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur.

PEOPLE AND SOCIETY FACTS

BIRTH RATE: 36.12 births/1,000 populationDEATH RATE: 11 deaths/1,000 populationLIFE EXPECTANCY: 55.42 yearsINFANT MORTALITY: 68.07 deaths/1,000 live births

HEALTH: PHYSICIAN DENSITY: 0.28 physicians/1,000 populationMAJOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES: •Malaria.• Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid.• Fever-vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness.)•Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (snail fever).• Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitisanimal.•Contact disease: rabiesPEOPLE LIVING WITH AIDS: 260,000 peopleCHILDREN UNDERWEIGHT UNDER 5 : 31.6 %

Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in the northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972 but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than four million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than two million deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. The referendum was held in January 2011 and indicated overwhelming support for independence. A separate conflict, which broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. The UN took command of the Darfur peacekeeping operation from the African Union in December 2007. Peacekeeping troops have struggled to stabilize the situation, which has become increasingly regional in scope and has brought instability to eastern Chad. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries primarily Ethiopia and Chad. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

THE DARFUR SITUATION

KEY PLAYERS IN THE CURRENT CRISIS: •Khartoum Government with Omar al Bashir•Janjaweed, Popular Defense Force (PDF)•The Darfur rebel groups: - Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A)- Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)

BRIEF SUMMAY Government neglect has left the people throughout Sudan poor and voiceless. In February 2003, the non-Arab ethnic groups of Darfur launched an uprising against the Kartoum government accusing it of oppressing non-Arab sudanese in favor of Sudanese Arabs. The government responded by implementing their campaign of genocide, enlisting the help of Arab militia in Darfur called the Janjaweed. The ongoing conflict has made a large number of victims from either direct combat or starvation and disease inflicted by the conflict. There have also been mass displacements and coercive migrations, forcing millions into refugee camps or over the border and creating a large humanitarian crisis and is regarded by many as a Genocide.

DESTRUCTION OF VILLAGES BY THE JANWAWEED ARMY

Villages destroyed by the conflict in Darfur region .

EFFECTS OF THE CONFLICT

DEATH: As of January 2010: number of deaths is estimated between 178,258 and 461,520 with 80% due du diseases.

REFUGEES (country of origin): 162,000 (Eritrea); 43,000 (Chad); 11,009 (Ethiopia)

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE: (as of January 2011) Total: between 4,5 and 5,2 IDPs plus unknown numbers of IDPs. In Darfur: 1,9 (2.7) million (from 2003 to 2009) and 268,000 newly displaced in 2010.

Widespread human rights abuses by the government and armed groups are a daily occurrence in Sudan including killing, torture, looting and destroying of property. All sides to the conflict continue to commit violations of international humanitarian law, such as attacks on civilians and on humanitarian convoys. Violence against women, including rape, remains widespread, particularly in Darfur. Throughout Sudan, the government routinely represses human rights defenders, political opponents and ordinary civilians, subjecting many to torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Though the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Crimes Against Humanity widespread, systematic, and grave abuses persist. the government continues to restrict humanitarian aid, Darfuris also continue to face arbitrary arrest and detention, and people continue to be killed everyday.

THE REFUGEE CAMPS

Main problems: • Upon arriving in the camps, the refugees have to wait sometimes for months in order to enter the camps and get a shelter. Although space is not an issue, this is due to the lack of tents available. In order to maximize the space, people are grouped, with priority to the women and young children and only then the group able to get a shelter. People outside the camps deal with extremely hot days and very cold night with barely any protection. •African Union troops insure the security of the refugees, but militia raid through the camps are still an occurring event.• water and food shortage create tensions among the refugees, which could lead to ethnic dispute in the camp threatening the security of the people. • No shade, lack of trees within the camps. Indeed most of them have been cut due to the necessity of material in order to build, or to create a fire. • Spread of diseases. •No sense of protection: Indeed as opposed to natural disasters, the war situation is ongoing, the refugees are not starting over/ rebuilding after a one time event they constantly threatened by new conflict breakouts and thus have no sense of security in the camps.

The IDP camps are all located on the fringes of town, facing waterless plains

Typical environment of the IDP’s camps.

WATER CONTAINER QUEUE AT WELLPOINT IN ABU SHOUK CAMP

Traditional IDP’s camp

FOOD DISTRIBUTION AT THE BOR WAY STATION families are supplied with two months worth of foodstuffs, seeds, tools and other items

School children in the Mandela camp for internally displaced persons in Khartoum state

SET OF CRITERIA

-FAST TO MAKE-EASY TO MAKE, for everyone children, adults, elders -LIGHT because the health condition of most refugees does not allow them to lift heavy materials. -TRANSPORTABLE: the refugees are often moved from one area of the camp to another for safety reasons - INSECT REPELENT: in order to fight the spread of malaria or tse tse fever. - ADAPTABLE TO CLIMATE: warm during the night/cold during the days. -COMFORTING: to bring the refugee a sense of comfort, safety, peace. -LOCAL: using only local and sustainable materials: the ecological situation in Sudan is also a reason for displacement.