Stepping into the leafy courtyard of the busy K2 restaurant, it’s hard to believe one is in Darfur, at the heart of a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and shocked the world.
NYALA, Sudan: Stepping into the leafy courtyard of the busy K2 restaurant, it’s hard to believe one is in Darfur, at the heart of a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and shocked the world.
The restaurant caters for almost 11,000 aid workers in Sudan’s remote west who, despite daily threats and harassment, try to feed and shelter 2 million people who have fled their homes to wretched camps during 2-12 years of fighting.
K2 is one of many local businesses that have sprung up in Darfur to cash in on the extra spending power of about 1,000 international aid workers in Darfur and around 6,000 foreign peacekeepers posted to the region. “This is great money for me. I couldn’t find a job before,” said Mariam Zacharia, who cleans for an international aid agency in El-Fasher, the main town on North Darfur state.
“They help with aid and we can get jobs with them too.” Sensing a market, the K2 Indian restaurant in Khartoum, popular with foreigners, has opened a branch in Nyala, capital of South Darfur state. A store selling pirated video and DVDs has also opened, offering after-curfew entertainment for aid workers.
Doing business in Darfur may be lucrative, but it is also risky. Armed men intimidate, beat and sometimes kill to steal valuable food, fuel and medical supplies. Those in remote towns can find themselves cut off without access to bottled water or fuel as trucks struggle to make their way along the dangerous roads from Khartoum. Rebels took up arms in early 2003 in Darfur, accusing Khartoum of monopolising wealth and power.
However, the aid workers are not the only ones with money to spend. The African Union (AU) has about 6,000 troops spread over a vast region the size of France, responsible for monitoring an often-violated ceasefire.
Seeing the opportunity for a quick profit, shrewd locals have opened shops selling imported goods such as Tabasco sauce, Mars bars and non-alcoholic beer for the soldiers next-door.
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