Bringing Hope to the Sudanese Town of Akobo
In 1990, Medair decided to launch a second programme in Akobo, a Sudanese town devastated by ongoing civil war, and accessible only by plane.
Once a thriving town, it was now mostly deserted and destroyed. Most of the former residents were now living in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, and those remaining were left with great needs.
Medair planned to improve health services, and provide access to a safe water supply and food and agricultural assistance, with a view to encouraging displaced residents to return to their homes.
In January 1991, the Gulf War put a quick halt to Medair’s plans, as all airspace was closed over Sudan.
Emergency Aid for Over 30,000 People
Three months later, the team was finally able to secure permission to begin work.
By then, Akobo was experiencing an influx of refugees, as it became the main entry point for over 300,000 Sudanese returning from Ethiopia. Within two weeks, the population swelled from 2,000 to 32,000, with Medair staff working extremely hard to provide them with emergency aid and medical care, seeing as many as 2,000 patients per day.
In partnership with ZOA Netherlands, Medair began an air shuttle of food aid for the town. The team also trained Sudanese in health services, and restored the borehole water system so that people had access to safe water.
Raising Awareness for the Crisis in Sudan
In March 1992, a new offensive in the civil war forced Medair to evacuate the town, and Sudan’s airspace was closed once again.
Without air shipments of food, the people of Akobo were left on their own to starve. Medair immediately mobilised people around the world to raise awareness about the plight of tens of thousands of Sudanese.
On 20 April, Sudan re-opened its airspace. The UN immediately invited Medair to return to Akobo on their first relief plane. On 21 April, Medair began overseeing shuttles of 12 tonnes of food per day for the 35,000 residents of Akobo.
CNN and ITV broadcast a moving report worldwide about Medair’s return. The international attention brought upon this crisis prompted other NGOs to begin programmes in Akobo, while we played the essential role of advocate for the community.
On 7 July 1992, the team handed over the Akobo projects to other agencies and to the Sudanese people whom the team had trained.
By 1995, Medair had established a permanent presence elsewhere in Southern Sudan. Today we run programmes in both the Northern States and in the south, serving over half a million people every year.
