THE EVENTS IN DARFUR UNFOLDED THE REALITY OF A NATION THAT LIVES WITNESSING ITS OWN CHRONIC DOWNFALL. AS HOPE GOES BY, WILL THE COUNTRY EVER BE WILLING TO REINVENT ITSELF?
The Sudanese government is constantly blamed for only investing in the Khartoum area, where the ruling elite live. Those living outside the capital hardly see any investments being made into their villages or towns. For many children, the future is something not to be looking for. Northern Sudan, 2006.
Sudan's endless conflicts are rooted in decades of highly unbalanced development between the north, arab and muslim, and the south, african communities devoted to christianity and animism. Sudan's state funds are often stored in private bank accounts, while the country continuously lacks basic infraestructure. El-Gezira province, 2006.
The first Eritrea-Ethiopia war 30 years ago sent thousands of eritreans across the border into Sudan, as they were fleeing the conflict, and they have remained refugees ever since. Meles was one of them. He poses with his son, who was born in the Watsharifei refugee camp, the biggest of the region, 15 years ago. Kassala province, 2006.
Kids enjoy a friday evening playing football in the outskirts of Kassala. Across the mountains is Eritrea, whose conflicts with Ethiopia (and civil war within Sudan) has produced an estimated 500.000 refugees, housed in camps around Kassala itself. Kassala province, 2006.
After graduating as a doctor in central Sudan, Walif could not find a job. As a result of years of conflict and lack of balance in the country, Sudanese youngsters are often unable to find qualified jobs anywhere in Sudan, even after graduation, and many are forced to migrate to other arab countries like Saudi Arabia in search for work. Northern Sudan, 2006.
Agriculture still employs 80% of the workforce in Sudan. Fertile soils are scarce in some regions, and Khartoum's government has been blamed for forcibly depopulating fertile lands off their original black africans inhabitants in favour of ethnic groups of arab origin. Eastern Sudan, 2006.
The conflict in Sudan has killed up to 50.000 people and forced some 1.4 million from their homes. Furthermore, more than 20 million people lack access to sanitation. Mohammed came to Gedaref from his village 180 km away to find out what disease he was suffering. After the tests in the local hospital, he was still clueless about it. Eastern Sudan, 2006.
A young boy leaves the dinning area at a traditional wedding. Kassala region, 2006.
A cellphone market in the streets of Gedaref attracts both the locals and the nomads who in spite of their wealth have been able to retain their traditions. El-Gezira province, 2006.
About one in ten Sudanese children dies before the age of five. Malaria, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases kill more than 100,000 children annually. Many of these deaths are a direct consequence of the fighting that has swept across Sudan for decades. El-Gezira province, 2006.
