280 thE sudan handbookits staff by river steamer to Malakal and, after carrying out 166 miles of
work, the giant Jonglei digger was abandoned to rest and rust.International Responses to FamineThe first major international response to famine was the Western Relief
Operation in 1984–85. Drought and famine in western Sudan set in after- The government in Khartoum was slow to respond amidst a cover-up
and denial campaign by President Nimeiri, who was concerned not to
jeopardize his image and further investment in the breadbasket strategy.
Darfur had not previously experienced a major food aid programme.
Responsibility for relief work in this area, according to the geographical
division of Sudan agreed by major donors and agencies, fell to the US,
with food distribution carried out mainly by Save the Children Fund
(UK). As part of its leading role in the famine relief response, USAID
sent two consignments of sorghum, which became known as ‘Reagan
durra’. The words of a song by displaced Darfuris symbolize how the US
president and not the Sudanese state came to their rescue: ‘If Reagan
had not come we would have died of hunger.’ Under strong pressure,
Nimeiri finally admitted the famine a year after drought became evident,
but, according to Alex de Waal, his delayed response caused an ‘entirely
preventable tragedy [that] cost an estimated 250,000 lives’.
Humanitarian relief to war-affected southern Sudan became a more
pressing issue after the popular overthrow of Nimeiri on 6 April 1985, and
as the civil war spread and intensified under Sadiq al-Mahdi’s new govern-
ment, elected in 1986. Attempts were made to refocus attention from
western to southern Sudan at this time. Operation Rainbow, a publicity
stunt seeking to use global media attention to highlight the denial of
relief to southern Sudan, failed to galvanize international pressure for
humanitarian access. Donors argued that Sudan’s sovereignty precluded
such operations. The Sudanese regime asserted its authority by expel-
ling the UN special representative in late 1986 and disrupting attempts
to secure greater access for aid organizations to southern Sudan. The
The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors SPLA also opposed international relief to government territory, including
(www.riftvalley.net).