Aid worker shot dead in N Darfur - Children are our future, they will build Darfur and to do that they must learn things

Some camp residents are pessimistic about the future. "Maybe I will have to stay here in this camp forever," says Khadmalla Hassan, "Only Allah knows." But others like Elzina Adam Ismae, who now teaches children to read in a camp in South Darfur, are more positive. "The children are our future, they will build Darfur and to do that they must learn things." (BBC/Peter Biro IRC)

Aid worker shot dead in North Darfur

Hassan Ahmad Idris, 23, an agricultural officer, was travelling in North Darfur with two local members of staff and a driver when their vehicle was stopped by armed robbers, who shot him dead, humanitarian agency Relief International said in a statement. One of the assailants had been arrested, it added - IRIN report July 13, 2006 - excerpt:

The UN envoy for Sudan, Jan Pronk, has expressed concern over the increasing violence in Darfur, saying the clashes between rival groups continued to displace civilians. "I am very concerned about the increase in violence in some specific areas of Darfur," Pronk told a news conference in Khartoum on Wednesday.

He named the most volatile areas as the northern part of North Darfur and eastern section of Jebel Marra, between Kutum and El Fasher, the state capital.

Thousands of Sudanese continue to pour into camps in Darfur despite the peace deal agreed between the Khartoum government and one rebel faction two months ago. This woman arrived in Abu Shouk camp in the north last month after her village grew increasingly insecure. It is the pattern across Darfur, in the south one field worker estimates 15,000 people have arrived in Nyala in the past few months. (BBC/Peter Biro IRC)



Pro-government Arab Janjaweed militia have driven over 2m from their homes in the last three years. In southern Otash camp, women and children collect water early to avoid the blazing rays of the midday sun. One of the group, Khadmalla Hassan, recalls her recent escape. "It was midday. The Janjaweed killed seven people. They burnt our houses and we were hiding in the desert for a week. We were very hungry and thirsty. Eventually we saw a truck drive by, which brought us here."

BBC NEWS In pictures - Darfur's camp life. Text and photos by Peter Biro of the International Rescue Committee.