Once again, Ta'asha was burned by Janjaweed militiamen in police uniforms. This time, Halima and her relatives said, the attackers who rode in on camels were followed by commanders in Land Cruisers with the government eagle symbol on the windshield.
Once again, Halima's cousin Mohamed hid in the bush, clutching his five children.
Displaced children mill about in the Nera camp. The violence in Darfur has driven families away from their farmlands and children away from their schools.
(Jahi Chikwediu - The Washington Post)
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_____Crisis in Sudan_____
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Q&A: Darfur A brief explanation of the issues and current humanitarian situation in Western Sudan.
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Photos: Sudan's Rebels
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New Pilgrims, Familiar Dreams (The Washington Post, Nov 25, 2004)
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Violence Fractures Cease-Fire In Sudan (The Washington Post, Nov 24, 2004)
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Violence in Darfur Inspires Surge In Student Activism (The Washington Post, Nov 23, 2004)
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Rebel Attacks Raise Tensions in Darfur (The Washington Post, Nov 21, 2004)
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In Sudan, a Sense of Abandonment (The Washington Post, Nov 16, 2004)
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"I saw my rebuilt home destroyed before me," Mohamed recounted. "I had never felt so angry."
May 24, 2004
Kabesha to Bashom
This time, the families found shelter in Kabesha, a remote village in the Darfur hills.
They had been there for about one month when they heard on the radio that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell was visiting Darfur to press for an end to the conflict. Later, they heard that Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary general, would also be visiting. There was news of possible U.N. sanctions that would stop the government from arming the Janjaweed.
But the news meant little to these exhausted refugees. There was little to eat and no one to help them. Mohamed, sick with malaria, was worried and depressed.
"For the first time in my life, my wife had to work on the farms of others. We didn't have any food," he recalled. During one especially bad week, he said, "we really thought we would die."
Delirious with fever at one point, he awoke and did not know where he was. He also dreamed that his brother and uncle were home in Ta'asha, warning him to run away. In his nightmare, he left them behind.
"I felt it was my fault that they were dead," he said.
One day, people in the village thought they heard fighting nearby. The shots turned out to be part of a feud between two neighbors, but the instinct to run took over. The families decided to head back to Bashom, 10 miles south.
Mohamed packed up his water jugs and teapots. Halima, who was wearing her brown dress, jammed the pink one over it.
"I was feeling tired," she recalled. "I didn't want to move again."
Oct. 9, 2004
Bashom to Nera
