Environmental crisis in Darfur

The women of Abu Shouk Camp work tirelessly filling water jugs. They line up for hours to complete the task. Some of the water wells have already gone dry in the camp. Thousands of new Sudanese, forced off of their land in Darfur, are now living on the outskirts of El Fasher in the Abushuk Camp.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Chlorine is added to the drinking water four times a day in Abu Shouk Camp, where over 54,000 people are living. The water here is much safer than what was available in home villages. Thousands of new Sudanese, forced off of their land in Darfur, are now living on the outskirts of El Fasher in the Abushuk Camp.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Six-year-old Buhari Ibrahim tries to help his family by making bricks in Abu Shouk Camp, although it’s a struggle. Buhari’s father was killed by the Janjaweed in the fighting in Darfur. Thousands of new Sudanese, forced off of their land in Darfur, are now living on the outskirts of El Fasher in the Abu Shouk Camp.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Eager to earn money for his family, Abdullah Mohammed, 9, makes bricks.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

“The trees are finished so we have to drive two days to find it,” says Ismail Omar, 52, right, standing in front of a 20-foot pile of logs at Abu Shouk’s wood market. The wood is used mainly for cooking but also to fuel brick-makling kilns, which need about 35 trees to make 100,000 bricks.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Two elderly women collect scraps of wood for cooking because they are unable to afford to buy wood in the market.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Cooking with wood is a drastic drain on resources in Darfur. All of the wood in the area of Abu Shouk camp has been cut down and more wood must now be trucked in from other parts of Darfur.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Trees are also cleared to make room for farming in many parts of Darfur as in this area outside the town of Tulus. Tribes traditionally known for animal herding are claiming land for farming.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Residents of Abu Shouk Camp have started to farm again by renting land close to the camp.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The women of Abu Shouk Camp work tirelessly transporting water. These women carry buckets of brackish water at the end of the day.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)