El Fasher, Sudan – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Wednesday that he was “shocked and humbled” by a visit to a Darfur refugee camp where thousands cheered him as he pledged to step up efforts to bring peace to the war-torn region.
Thousands of refugees at Al Salaam camp in North Darfur chanted “Welcome! Welcome, Ban Ki-Moon!” when the U.N. chief entered the camp, home to 46,000 refugees.
“We must bring peace and development. We must protect human rights. We must help all of you return to your homes and lands,” Ban told the crowd at a water tower in the camp.
The scene contrasted with his visit earlier Wednesday to the U.N. compound in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which was disrupted by a group of about a dozen protesters.
“We don’t care for U.N.! This is our country!” the group of mostly women shouted in Arabic in what appeared to be an orchestrated event. “You want to destroy us. We will not allow you here in Darfur.”
