A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall...

So I begin with a disclaimer: Bob Dylan was actually the soundtrack for my mission to Nyala and not for my trips to Geneina and El Fasher. One of UNDP's drivers in Nyala had Bob Dylan's greatest hits on replay while I was there. Apparently it was a new addition to his playlist and was well received by the khawajas at UNDP (myself included).

However, given the tranquility that accompanied my mission to Nyala, this title did not seem appropriate for my post about that trip. Rather, it seemed more befitting my missions to Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, and El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in early June 2008.

Although neither of these trips was particularly upsetting, both brought me closer to the news stories about Darfur than had my trip to Nyala. I visited IDP camps in both locations. I watched as unidentified armed me drove technicals (pick up trucks with machine guns mounted on the beds) past the UNDP office in Geneina. And I traveled in a vehicle convoy between the UNDP office in Geneina and the Justice & Confidence Center UNDP supports in one of the IDP camps in order to avoid a carjacking. (We did, but the next day two UNHCR vehicles were carjacked from that same camp.)

On the other hand, I also saw signs of hope and normacy during these trips, such as the vibrant market in Geneina and these boys playing soccer outside Al Salaam IDP camp in El Fasher.

And although my trips to Geneina and Fasher may have brought me closer to a news story about Darfur than did my mission to Nyala, they were anything but unpleasant. I never felt stressed out or afraid. Rather, I enjoyed the break from the havoc of Khartoum. And for better or worse, my trip to Fasher conjures more memories of movies at the UNDP guesthouse, meals at the ARC (the massive UNAMID headquarters), and Joel's puppy pictures than it does thoughts of the IDPs down the road at Al Salaam.

(The pictures above are as follows: Geneina from the air, paralegals at the Justice & Confidence Center in Geneina, camels in downtown Geneina, Al Salaam IDP camp in El Fasher, and a group of boys outside Al Salaam.)

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire

So, after one year in Khartoum and six weeks of vacation in the states, I'm now living in Nyala, South Darfur. I arrived back in Sudan on October 6 and in Nyala on October 14. I'm now settling into my new job with the International Organization for Migration and looking forward to an interesting and productive time to come. More stories to follow...