The influx of United Nations agencies and private charities into the North Darfur capital of El Fasher in the past several years has created a boom for the town in ways most of the region is not experiencing, reports the Los Angeles Times.

El Fasher has new office buildings under construction, new rental homes costing as much as $5,000 a month, and paved streets instead of the former sand roads, the paper reports. Its population has nearly doubled since 2003 as the city has attracted refugees from the humanitarian crisis in Darfur as well as aid workers who have made the town their base for operations.

“People are beginning to think in a more business-minded way,” Adam Ahmed Sliman, an economics analyst in El Fasher, tells the Times. “And for the first time, really, there is an opportunity for people to make some money rather than just getting by day to day.”

But while the “aid boom” seems to be benefiting most corners of the town’s population, some observers wonder what the long-term prospects are for the town, especially after the crisis in Darfur ends.

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