ROBERT SMITH, host:
Four years into the conflict, in Sudan's western region of Darfur, the numbers tell an epic story of violence - more than 200,000 people killed, so many injured and raped, and millions displaced. But those numbers by no means reflect the entire story of what's happening in the region. And that's because the conflict is changing all the time. NPR's Gwen Thompkins reports from Al-Fashir in Darfur.
GWEN THOMPKINS: No one knows why a Ugandan police officer was murdered the other night while on duty in the town of Al-Fashir. The Joint United Nations African Union presence in the area is investigating. This man's death is just one of the many mysteries that may forever be lost on this empty, dusty horizon. At a recent memorial ceremony at their parade ground in Al-Fashir, the Joint Force, called UNAMED, could only salute the unnamed officer among the growing contingent of peacekeepers who have died so far in Darfur.
(Soundbite of yelling)
THOMPKINS: This most recent killing is part of a growing trend. Darfur is the scene of the world's biggest humanitarian effort. Thousands of civilians and troops and police are here, and more and more they are the targets. Sometimes there are isolated and mysterious attacks like the one on the Ugandan officer. But more often it's banditry.
Mr. ANTONINE GERARD (U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): I have the feeling that it's much more opportunism of some, but I don't think at the end of the day the intention is to stop the (unintelligible) because on any signs you don't see the interest.
THOMPKINS: Antonine Gerard manages the U.N.'s humanitarian effort in Darfur. He says banditry is like any other business that grows around protracted conflicts, but in Darfur it has a demoralizing effect on everybody.
Mr. GERARD: All of this is in the context where we do not see a disagreement emerging. So this is also affecting the morale of the population.
THOMPKINS: Back in 2004, the conflict was primarily a struggle over land, water, and other resources in this arid and unforgiving region. Rebels from farming communities and government supported militia from the area's nomadic Arab population were in a zero-sum contest. But over the years, the rebel groups have split acrimoniously and then split again and again. And there's been tension reported between the militias and the government. For many who work here it has become difficult to tell who among the Darfuris is shooting.
General MARTIN LUTHER AGWAI (UNAMID): I am not going to risk the life of any of my peacekeepers.
THOMPKINS: General Martin Luther Agwai heads the UNAMID Peacekeeping Force. He has less than half the troops mandated to be in Darfur, fewer than 10,000 people to patrol and protect millions.
General AGWAI: What we are here to do is to help people to talk and not to shoot. We are not here to stop bullets flying.
THOMPKINS: The 65 peacekeepers who have been lost now have their names, ranks, and home countries etched into a memorial plaque at UNAMID headquarters in Al-Fashir. The plaque is a reminder of how much the conflict in this region matters to the world. Of course, there is no plaque as of yet bearing the names of the many thousands of Darfuris who have died.
(Soundbite of bugle)
THOMPKINS: A bugle sounded at the end of the memorial ceremony playing something akin to Taps, but there were blue notes in the melody that nearly everyone touched by the conflict could understand. It was the all too familiar sound of grief.
Gwen Thompkins, NPR News, Al-Fashir. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
