[Stoves] Ken Goyer - leaving El Fasher, forwarded by Warren

[Warren Goyer]

     This morning I left El Fasher, and now I am back in  Khartoum. My
brother, Warren, asked me how long would it take to drive back to Khartoum
from El Fasher and the answer is that it takes a couple of hours to wait at
the airport and a couple of hours to fly. Everyone flys. Recently, however,
the subject of driving came up because people in the "expat" community
(meaning the foreign aid workers for NGO's) are anticipating the airport
being closed, and them being abandoned in El Fasher by the UN (since the UN
has no obligation to rescue people not in the UN). Therefore, they would
need to flee overland, presumably to Khartoum,  and presumably in their
Toyota Landcruisers. I asked if they had any idea how far it was or how much
fuel or supplies they would need to make this trip. Fortunately, the UN does
organize convoys in the other direction so by extrapolating their
instructions backwards we can get a few ideas. 

 

Road conditions

>From Khartoum to Elkhewi about 750 km (asphalt road).  Security situation is
calm. 

>From Elkhewi to El Fasher (about 520 km) off road, sandy and in some places
is very rough.  (Stones and heavy sand) . This road from Wad Banda to El
Fasher witnessed in the past many incidents of armed robbery and small
tribal conflicts.  Updated information confirming that the area nowadays (in
March) is calm: no incidents have been reported. (now, even convoys are
being shot up and robbed).

 

The trip will take four days to cover 1,200 kilometers. That's assuming you
stop at night. There is more advice about what to do if your car breaks down
or if you are attacked. So driving is not for the faint hearted. Actually
all of the supplies arriving in El Fasher that don't come in large military
airplanes arrive by this road. Every day, we see lots of very large yellow
trucks, their goods being off loaded onto horse carts for distribution
around town. All of the relief supplies (food) for the refugees in Darfur
must come overland by convoy on this road.

     VJ suggested that it might be a better idea to join one of the camel
caravans, at least more interesting. I think of Lawrence of Arabia holding
his Lenstatic compass.

     We have made some very successful demonstrations of the SixBricks
Rocket stove in El Fasher and laid the groundwork for a demonstration
project. VJ remains to facilitate this project and I am returning briefly to
Uganda to continue my work there before returning home. 

    My parting thoughts of El Fasher are of this guy who must have come from
Brooklyn. He has taught every kid to say "hihowarya?", and of the girls that
you pass on the street. You wave at them and they smile, you say "hi!" and
they say "hi!" back... and then they all giggle.

Best wishes,  Ken