Settling In

Written on 24/25 April 2006…
Photo: From Mont Febe overlooking Yaounde, Cameroon

From five stories up (Americans, note that the ground floor is zero), I sit on my apartment balcony above the bustling streets and admire this African capital glowing with city lights. From here, I shall tell you about the last week’s activities.

Last Monday morning, we (the relocated “refugees” from Chad) reported to the WFP regional office in Yaounde. The director sat down with us to discuss our plans for the immediate future. Some of the relocated staff members from Chad were due for a break or vacation, and so they left us for now. Others were assigned to Douala, a big port city (that serves WFP Chad) in Cameroon on the Atlantic. And for the rest of us, we were told simply to settle in. Settle in, make yourself comfortable, find some work to do – Cameroon is home for a bit.

Since Thursday April 13, the big day of fighting in N’Djamena, all has been quiet in Chad. The government claims that 350 people died that day, the rebels claim 20. It is certain who is correct, or what the rebels might be planning next. N’Djamena is still tense with uncertainty. It is these moments of quietness, I am told, when you have to be the most cautious. Making matters more on edge are the presidential elections slated for 3 May.

Remaining optimistic, we are hoping to head back to Chad by mid-May. In a worse case scenario, Chad falls apart, and I am not wishing that. Despite all of its problems and difficulties, I have made some good Chadian friends in the last eight months. Chadians are generally good people, like most people of the World I believe – it’s the politics and the desire for money and power that always seems to get in the way. Even in the relative luxuriousness of Cameroon, I find myself missing Chad.

In the meantime, the situation is Darfur / eastern Chad is worsening. I saw it reported that the conflict is worse now than at any previous time in the conflict. It has now spilled into Chad and left many people homeless. There is a good story on this on the NPR website: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5358216. It is interesting because the reporter has decided to use the term “refugee” instead of the standard term “internally displaced person” (IDP). In official language, the term refugee is reserved for someone who has crossed an international border. In Darfur, however, it is difficult to distinguish the case of the refugees and the IDPs.

So, even as I settle into a nice place in Yaounde, learn to navigate the city, and get comfortable in my work environment, I am anxious to return to Chad. People across Darfur have been forced to flee their homes, and I have been forced to come here where my personal contribution is compromised. The world seems to be full of conflict these days. Even the US is unable to use its superpower influence to keep peace in the world – much less in it’s prized oil-producing nations (Chad, and Iran, included). For me, all I can do is my part, and the best place I can see that I can do that is to re-settle into N’Djamena, Chad. And so, all settled-in to Cameroon, I will await next month and see what happens.