The World Newser is World News' daily blog. Here, you'll find our staff's thoughts on the day's news and the way we build our broadcast. Plus, we'll share reports from our team of correspondents in the field, as well as producers behind-the-scenes.
RECENT POSTS
- Going Rogue, Selling High
- What One Man 200 Miles Above Earth is Thankful For Today
- Clem's Chronicles: Toyota Recall/Afghan Speech/State Dinner Crashers
- Charlie Gibson...On this Thanksgiving
- Quotes of the Day: 'It is my intention to finish the job'
- Start Your Shopping Engines
- The Hajj and Women's Dress
- Clem's Chronicles: Afghanistan/WH State Dinner/Holiday Travel
- Photos: White House State Dinners Through the Years
- Are We Becoming A Nation of Know-Nothings?
- Quotes of the Day: 'President Obama has the information he wants... to make his decision'
- Clem's Chronicles: Jobs/Afghanistan/Health Care Reform/Deficit
WORLD NEWSER CATEGORIES
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
The last foreign team allowed to enter Sudan?
May 19, 2006 3:23 PM
Correspondent David Wright blogs about his trip to Darfur, where over 200,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been displaced:
From a reporting standpoint, Sudan involves a high degree of difficulty. Covering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis has to be one of the most unpleasant experiences there is.
The stories are heart wrenching. The people who struggle to survive in Darfur face unimaginable hardship. Witnessing it firsthand – and reporting back -- is not just newsworthy, it’s important.
To do that you have to share their experience to some small extent. Hardship comes with the territory of foreign reporting. But here the struggle is constant and the conditions are horrible. (At right, a mother and her malnourished son as they wait to receive aid.)
We have been staying in an army barracks where the cockroaches were as long as your finger. And they’re not shy. Every morning you have to shake your shoes before putting them on, to make sure nothing creepy has found its way inside.
In all of Africa, Darfur is farthest from the sea. Even at night, the temperature is well over 100 degrees. We’re talking sauna conditions here. The only relief from the heat comes from dust storms called “haboobs.” They rise up without warning, eclipsing the sun with a sky full of dirt. When a haboob hits, it’s impossible for planes to land and drivers to see -- and it’s tough to take pictures without ruining your camera. (At left, homeless children in southern Sudan.)
Climate isn't the only part of what makes reporting here difficult. The government of Sudan does not put a high value on freedom of the press. And they are sensitive about Darfur. Government backed militias and security forces are among those accused of genocide.
Lately officials have refused to grant any new visas to foreign reporters. We may well have been the last foreign team allowed to enter the country.
Even once you arrive in the country, the struggle to report on Darfur is far from over. Producer Almin Karamehmedovic and I filled out 36 forms and had to submit a total of 24 passport photos in order to apply for the necessary permits to film in the country and travel outside the capital. The fees alone – for four of us – were more than $1,000.
We never got the permit. The government simply stopped giving them out. So we have been traveling with the African Union peacekeepers. But in Darfur we are at constant risk of being arrested.
Not a nice place. But it’s worth coping with it to tell this story.
Watch David's WNT webcast piece here: [WATCH]
May 19, 2006 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (1)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Excellent work and series of reports. Thank you for helping to tell a tragic and important story that many would chose to ignore.
Posted by: Dana | May 20, 2006 9:37:08 PM
Post a comment
