A Sporting Start

by Charlotte Brudenell, ACT-Caritas

Zalingei, West Darfur, July 11, 2007 - One evening toward the end of June, a crowd of some 300 people gather round the local football pitch in Zalingei town in West Darfur. For the first time a football match is being played between young people from Khamsadegaig camp and the local youth team from Zalingei. The match, organized by ACT-Caritas, is an effort to bridge the gap between those displaced by the conflict and the local community.

Suspicion is high. “We do not know each other,” explains Alzain, 25. “We didn’t want to play them, as there could be a problem between the two because the people in the town have a modern way of life but we are from rural areas. The people in the town are from different tribes, and we are only Fur.”

Alzain’s comments provoke a disagreement, with one of his friends saying that one cannot blame the conflict in Darfur on only one group of people.

ACT-Caritas sees sport as a potential means for overcoming the polarization between the displaced and settled host communities in Darfur. The conflict in Darfur is complex and has been characterized by the manipulation of ethnic identity to divide Darfurians and counter the rebel movements.

Alzain explains that the reality for many children is very difficult to understand, because they have experienced being attacked by only one particular group of people. Due to such views, ACT-Caritas staff worked hard to encourage the team from Khamsadegaig camp to play against the host community.

It is part of a wider effort to build peace across Darfur by engaging young people.

Centre for Peace

Grey-brown sun-baked bricks made from sand and clay already form three sides of what will be a large enclosure in Hamediya, another camp in Zalingei that is home to some 35,000 internally displaced persons.

On their own initiative, the young of Hamediya are building themselves a youth centre. Both men and women are involved. Like young people anywhere in the world, the youth in Hamediya want to be able to watch TV and play football, but they also want to learn skills such as carpentry, masonry and using computers, and to have a cultural library.

“The idea for this project is to build a place where young people can come together, get involved in a variety of activities, obtain skills, and change their attitudes,” says Ibrahim, 31, youth leader and a nurse at the health centre in the camp.

“The youth are idle in the camp; there is nothing to do - no jobs, no education - and many cannot go outside of the camp due to insecurity and fear,” he explains. “This can lead to crime and many social problems, so we wanted to create a project which would benefit all the youth in a positive way.”

The young people formed a small committee of mostly high school and university graduates, and called a meeting with the humanitarian aid agencies working in the camp to ask for their assistance.

The humanitarian community is cautious about the project because of security issues. In June six people from the camp were killed, the latest in a number of incidents. There is no protection for the camps. Aid agencies worry that the young people may take security into their own hands.

After receiving reassurance that the purpose of the centre is peaceful, ACT-Caritas agreed to supply sports equipment and handicraft materials and, in the future, may consider helping with water and sanitation.

ACT-Caritas already runs a similar centre in Khamsadegaig, another camp in Zalingei. The centre is for all residents in the camp but has worked with youth extensively through workshops in human rights, trauma, peace-building, and HIV/AIDS awareness, as well as by providing vocational activities.

Building Trust Takes Time

Meanwhile, the football match in Zalingei town stadium ended in a 2-2 draw. There may have been no winner, but it has helped break down some of the suspicions between the two communities.

“Before the match, we stayed separate from each other, but we were able to introduce ourselves to each other and have a connection through sport,” said Ousman, 19, coach of the Zalingei youth team. “It was a very satisfying thing for the local community to do.”

His thoughts are echoed by the Khamsadegaig team. “Through sport we were able to make relationships, and now we can play the same team again,” said Salih, a member of the team. “They can come and play here.”

There is a long way to go to build trust and solid relationships between the two communities, but they’ve been given a sporting start thanks to the work of ACT-Caritas.