Meeting an aid worker in Seminyak Bali

Last night after finishing my typing, I went over to Santa Fe with my laptop, to drink a cold beer. Sitting at a low table next to an Irish guy, I learned he was on a 2 day R&R trip, coming from Sudan via Singapore. He told me he works in Darfur, for an Irish NGO.

Hearing the word ‘Darfur’ I immediately thought of armed men terrorizing villagers, “That seems like some crazy Mad Max scenario,” I said. “Actually that’s an accurate description of what happening out there.” he said. David was aged around 30 and told me he lives in a compound with the other aid workers. Roads are extremely dangerous, so helicopters are used to get from one aid site to the next. I asked him what would happen, if 100 Janjaweed militia (heavily armed Muslim fighters) showed up at the compound. He said the guards are unarmed, as are all the aid workers. “We’re told to hand over the keys to our Jeeps, money, etc., that’s the best chance of staying alive.”

Never having been to Sudan, I can only imagine the cultural scene there. David said north Sudan is very hot and dry, all Muslim who speak Arabic and consider themselves Arabs. South Sudan is black Africa, and Darfur is a section of the country where locals have been murdered by the militias, with the support of the army. According to David, the Sudanese government will deport any foreigner who criticizes the country, their phones, and correspondences being screened. He told me the NGO’s have to work with the local government, supposedly helping the victims of the Janjaweed. One night he was supposed to have dinner with a local politician, who’s son in law was a ‘high-up’ in the Janjaweed, so the whole thing is hog-tied.

Very interesting listening to someone with a completely different lifestyle. David said that when the Asian tsunami hit, many people working in Africa were hoping some of that aid money would bail them out of the ‘hell hole’, but people have since learned that working in Aceh, isn’t a vacation either. I asked David what his plans for the future are. He said he’s like to work for the UN, but there are many people chasing a few jobs. Good luck to David and I hope Bali offers provides the stress break he’s looking for.