Blind to Genocide

Today, due to oil, income inequalities and environmental constraints, Darfur, Sudan  is facing genocide with already more than 200,000 casualties (Harsch, Ernest).  The Janjaweed—a government funded Arab militia—is systematically murdering, torturing and raping Darfurian civilians (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  Yet the world community is merely sending sporadic funding, implementing weak economic sanctions and sending too few peacekeeping troops (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).

The crisis began in February 2003; roughly, 2.3 million Darfuris have fled their homes and are now in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps (Genocide in Darfur, 2007) (Plaut, Martin).  Another million are living in communities with risk of bombings, raids, murders, rape and torture (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  Moreover, an estimated 3 million are reliant on relief aid in Darfur alone (Harsch, Ernest); 200,000 additional civilians reside in refugee camps in the neighboring country of Chad  (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  Between Chad and Darfur, there are 13,000 aid workers, and 100 refugee camps (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).

Despite the efforts of aid workers, for the fourth consecutive month, nearly all of the 224,000 North Darfurians are not receiving food support (Harsch, Ernest).  Healthcare has also been unavailable to 40 percent of North Darfurians (Harsch, Ernest).  Not only are there not enough supplies, but the Janjaweed and rebel groups have begun to assault humanitarians, hijack their vehicles and pillage their offices (Genocide in Darfur, 2007). 

Four years into such a dire situation, one must look at the genesis for an explanation of why the genocide has occurred.  Oil is Sudan’s main economic resource, and the profits are not going toward the benefit of the Sudanese (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  Darfur’s infrastructure lacks modern advancements; hence, the agrarian region feels neglected by the government in Khartoum  (Genocide in Darfur, 2007). 

Oil is not the only factor.  The huge gap between the rich and the poor creates great resentment, and environmental deterioration has brought out this bitterness.  In the mid-1980’s, a drought began to consume the land of Darfur (Faris, Stephan).  As the climate changed, sand began to flood the arable soil, washing it away (Faris, Stephan).  No longer could the land sustain both black farmers and nomadic Arab herders (Faris, Stephan). 

With the diminishing land available for cultivation and grazing, the herders and farmers began to fight for the essential acreage (Faris, Stephan).  In the 3,000-death feuds of the 1980’s, mostly Darfurians died (Faris, Stephan).  Additional battles created further hostility and division between the two disputing groups (Faris, Stephan).  During these battles, the government supported the Arabs—who were at this point, performing an “ethnic cleansing”—both politically and financially (Faris, Stephan).  A group of Darfurians, displeased with their biased authorities, formed a rebel group that launched attacks on the government (Harsch, Ernest). 

In order to quiet the Darfurians, the government hired the Arab Janjaweed to fight the rebel groups (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  When acts of genocide had been noticed, the United Nations (UN) passed resolutions on Darfur (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  They resolved to send in 22,500 peacekeeping troops to protect the civilians (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  Unfortunately, less than 200 peacekeepers have been successfully deployed (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  The African Union (AU) has also installed 7,400 troops and personnel (Genocide in Darfur, 2007).  Both the AU and UN are struggling to get all the rebel and governmental parties together to revise the previous failed Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) of 2006 (Genocide in Darfur, 2007) (US Fears for Sudan, 2007).  Since the DPA, violence has actually increased, as factions increase attacks against those who did not sign (Quick Guide, 2006) (Q and A, 2007).  Jan Pronk, UN special envoy says, “The Darfur peace agreement is nearly dead.  It is in a coma (Harsch, Ernest).”

The UN’s World Food Program, along with NGO’s Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), CARE Canada, UK Islamic Relief, and World Vision International, has provided food (Genocide in Darfur, 2007)(NGO’s Respond, 2004).  The ADRA, AMERI Cares USA, Concern Worldwide and CARE International UK have also provided non-food items, such as blankets, medicine, sleeping mats and shelter materials (NGO’s Respond, 2004). 

People hold some economic weapons.  Individuals are divesting from companies that are active in Sudan (Kristof, Nicholas).  There is a bill in Congress that would immobilize the corporations that are active in Sudan from getting federal contracts (Kristof, Nicholas).  On May 29, 2007, economic sanctions were implemented, though they have yet to make a notable impact (Genocide in Darfur). 

Not enough is being done for Darfur.  The world needs to get involved and stop blindly staring in the other direction.  This is a genocide, and people—adults, infants and children—are being indiscriminately slaughtered.  The peacekeepers need to be allowed to defend themselves; if they can’t even do that, how are they supposed to defend others?  “We are not here to compel any peace,” says Agwai, the UN-AU commander (Guerin, Orla).  “We are here to work with the Sudanese people—both the government and the parties to assist them to find peace.  We are not here to impose peace.  We are not here to fight anyone.”  (Guerin, Orla).  In order to end the genocide, an effective and credible peacekeeping force must be implemented.  There also needs to be a ceasefire that is observed by all groups.  Instead of waiting for the high death tolls to rise even further, the global community needs to act now.  Added delays could result in the worst massacre the African Continent has ever seen.

Sources:

1) “The Genocide in Darfur.”  Save Darfur.  June 2007. Save Darfur. September 27, 2007  <savedarfur.org>.

2) Harsch, Ernest.  “Darfur Facing Even Greater Horror.”  United Nations.  October 2006.  United Nations.  6 October 2007 <www.un.org/ecosocdeu/geninfo/afrec/vol20no3/203-darfur-crisis.html>. 

3) Kristof, Nicholas.  “Death by Dollars.”  International Herald Tribune. (Feb 12, 2007):6.  Info Trac Custom Newspapers.  Gale.  U-32 High School.  5 October 2007 <http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodld=IPS>.

4) “Q and A: Sudan’s Darfur Conflict.”  BBC News.  October 3, 2007.  BBC News.  6 October 2007 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/3496731.stm>.

5) “US ‘Fears for Sudan Peace Treaty.’”  BBC News.  October 6, 2007.  BBC News.  6 October 2007 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/Africa/7031899.stm>.

6) Faris, Stephan.  “The Real Roots of Darfur.”  The Atlantic.  April 2007:67-69.

7) Guerin, Orla.  “Darfur’s peacekeeper: Africa’s toughest job?”  BBC News.  September 17, 2007.  BBC News.  6 October 2007 <http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/Africa/6998279.stm>.

8) “Quick guide: Darfur.”  BBC News.  September 6, 2006.  BBC News.  6 October 2007 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/Africa/5316306.stm>.

9) Plaut, Martin.  “Prospects darken for Darfur deal.”  BBC News.  September 30, 2007.  BBC News.  6 October 2007 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/Africa/7020959.stm>.

10) “NGO’s Respond to Sudan’s Darfur Crisis.”  Alert Net.  October 8, 2004.  Reuters Foundation.  12 October 2007 <http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/108325857918.htm >