Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The shadow of a mountain: Both refuge and darkness for people displaced by conflict in Darfur

By Charlotte Brudenell, ACT-Caritas field communicator

Nertiti, Jebel Marra, January 10, 2007-As the sun rises from behind the mountain, boys in long, white shirts, known as "jelabia," hurry through the streets of Nertiti, kicking up the dust with their feet.

The healthy chatter of their youthful voices fills the quiet of a town where the common mode of transportation is either donkey or foot. (The only motorized vehicles that venture off the main tarmac road are those of humanitarian agencies, government authorities or armed forces).

The boys are hurrying to get to school on time. In the yard, those who arrive late for morning assembly try to strategically dodge past the teacher standing at the gate.

"I want to learn so that I can help develop my country and help my mother and my community by getting a job," says 15-year-old Abaker, a student at the school. Read more >>>

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