Ben Young
Photo Editor
Fortunately, as far as forgotten conflicts go, the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan is not the most forgotten conflict happening today. Thanks to Colin Powell’s announcement last September that the violence in Darfur constituted genocide, the conflict leapt, if for only a brief minute, into the world’s collective conscience. More and more has been written about what is going on in Sudan, and it seems that more and more people are becoming educated about the situation. But sadly no decisive action has been taken by the world community to end the violence or punish those who perpetrate it.
The United Nations called the situation in Darfur the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, while the European Union has said the violence has increased to levels “tantamount to genocide,” but they, as well as the United Nations, refuse to label the conflict genocide. There is a seeming myriad of reasons why Kofi Annan and Company will not use the word genocide to describe the situation, but the reason that makes the most sense is the simplest of them all — according to Article 1 of the U.N. Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, parties who have signed and ratified the convention “confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.” The article is clear and sheds light on the reason why the global community has failed to take action: everyone desires to keep their hands clean of the mess in Darfur.
But regardless of the U.N., E.U. and U.S. motivation to stay out of the conflict, this is not something that we can simply ignore — to do so is immoral. Experts have estimated that the number dead as a result of ethnic cleansing is more than 200,000, with an additional 10,000 people dying each month. Almost two million people have been displaced from their homes into refugee camps that lack even the most basic adequate food, shelter or health care. The situation is dire and will probably get a lot worse before it gets any better.
Experts are predicting another famine will rack the country, causing widespread death from both starvation and malnutrition. The Janjaweed militias, those largely responsible for the crisis in Darfur, have taken up the practice of targeting both food and water shipments from aid organizations and scorching farmland. To worsen the situation, many Janjaweed have joined ranks with the police and army and will not be prosecuted for their crimes. Finally, the Sudanese government has shown nothing but contempt for international law and has flaunted its blatant rejection of U.N. resolutions. Sadly, on March 16th, the United Nations withdrew its entire staff out of the Darfur region after the Janjaweed said it had begun targeting the UN humanitarian convoys and foreigners.
In short, the situation in Darfur is a tragedy. It is time for the United States to take the lead and put as much pressure on the both the U.N. and E.U. as it can. We say we learned from the 1994 genocide, now it is time to prove it. Maybe if the United States was as passionate about spreading freedom to the millions in Darfur who are being raped, shot, starved, burned alive and driven from their homes as it was a few years ago before taking action in Iraq, real change could be affected.
However we should not wait for the government to act before taking action of own.
There are many ways to help — find one. There are many aid workers on the ground in Darfur risking their lives because they believe this cause to be worthy. The least we could is support them by a small donation or writing a letter to world leaders urging them to take action.
Reportedly, on reading a paper regarding President Clinton’s inaction during the Rwandan Genocide, President Bush reacted by writing in the margins of the paper, “not on my watch.”
Sadly, genocide is happening on your watch, Mr. President and now it is time for you to lead. We will follow.
3-31-2005