Genocide in Darfur
They say that hind site is always 20/20.
12 years ago, almost 1 million people died in the Rwandan genocide. The Hutu used the assassination of the Rwandan President as an excuse to begin a campaign of violence against the minority Tutsi. Many suffered, including women and children, while the world watched and did nothing. President Clinton called his lack of action the biggest regret of his presidency. In 2004 the film Hotel Rwanda brought the brutality of the event to life for American audiences. The film was widely acclaimed and even garnered a nomination for Best Picture; and more importantly brought the event back into the public conscious. Many Americans are ashamed of our inaction, and wish that we could have done more to prevent the massacres. Now, in 2006, the same situation is facing the world again, and again we are doing nothing.
Right now, in the Sudan, the Sudanese government is systematically killing the black Sudanese in the villages of Darfur. Arab militias (Janjaweed) are going into to villages, forcing people from their homes, murdering men and boys, raping the women and burning the children alive. The Janjaweed have also poisoned local water supplies, and prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Sudanese refugees. So far it is believe that over 500,000 Sudanese have been killed, and over 1 million have be driven from their homes. The homeless refugees are beginning to die from disease and starvation, and the violence only continues to escalate.
So what is the world doing to intervene? Not a goddamn thing! For the most part the rest of the world has spent the last 2 years debating on whether or not the suffering of the people can be considered genocide. Even the Congress of the United States debated whether or not the massacres met the definition of "genocide." In the end, guess what? The votes were counted, and it does meet the genocide criteria. Damn the government pisses me off. People are being exterminated while old men in suits debate the semantics of the massacre.
Basically what this genocide boils down to, is that the majority of people in the northern part of the country are Arab Muslims, and in the south, the majority are black. The black Sudanese for the most part have either converted to Christianity, or still practice their ancestral religions. The Arab Janjaweed militias are basically going through the country and wiping out the blacks, including the black Muslims.
It amazes me to here people try to justify our non-involvement in the Sudan. Our troops are occupied with the war on terror; we are spread to thin throughout the world. With each excuse, thousands more die.
Why do we not care?
One reason we do not care is that the media has barely covered the genocide. With the exception of a few great reporters, main stream media has paid no attention to the massacres. The American press was far more concerned with the Michael Jackson trial, or who killed Natalie Holloway, or the poor old man that Dick Cheney shot. Half a million dead, and all the media can focus on is a freak, a dead white girl, and a hunting accident. Where the hell is our perspective?
Some even go as far as to say that the Sudan is not our problem, and that we are busy fighting a "global war on terror." Well let me say this, if you are of this opinion, you are a jackass. The Sudan is not our problem? It's everyone's problem. The United States as well as all of Europe is primarily responsible for most of the horrible things that have taken place in almost every African nation. We all broke it, and we all need to fix it.
I wonder if the horrific images that are coming from the region would be received more sympathetically if the bodies of the dead were white.
We need to act now. The United States has an opportunity to reclaim some of our international credibility, and more importantly help save a generation of human beings. As citizens it is our job to talk about these events, debate them, do whatever it takes to keep the Sudan in the public dialogue. Maybe then the media will catch on, and the political swine will get up of their asses and actually do something. This is a big moment for us, a moment we cannot let pass. We cannot turn our heads, there is too much at stake.
12 years ago, almost 1 million people died in the Rwandan genocide. The Hutu used the assassination of the Rwandan President as an excuse to begin a campaign of violence against the minority Tutsi. Many suffered, including women and children, while the world watched and did nothing. President Clinton called his lack of action the biggest regret of his presidency. In 2004 the film Hotel Rwanda brought the brutality of the event to life for American audiences. The film was widely acclaimed and even garnered a nomination for Best Picture; and more importantly brought the event back into the public conscious. Many Americans are ashamed of our inaction, and wish that we could have done more to prevent the massacres. Now, in 2006, the same situation is facing the world again, and again we are doing nothing.
Right now, in the Sudan, the Sudanese government is systematically killing the black Sudanese in the villages of Darfur. Arab militias (Janjaweed) are going into to villages, forcing people from their homes, murdering men and boys, raping the women and burning the children alive. The Janjaweed have also poisoned local water supplies, and prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Sudanese refugees. So far it is believe that over 500,000 Sudanese have been killed, and over 1 million have be driven from their homes. The homeless refugees are beginning to die from disease and starvation, and the violence only continues to escalate.
So what is the world doing to intervene? Not a goddamn thing! For the most part the rest of the world has spent the last 2 years debating on whether or not the suffering of the people can be considered genocide. Even the Congress of the United States debated whether or not the massacres met the definition of "genocide." In the end, guess what? The votes were counted, and it does meet the genocide criteria. Damn the government pisses me off. People are being exterminated while old men in suits debate the semantics of the massacre.
Basically what this genocide boils down to, is that the majority of people in the northern part of the country are Arab Muslims, and in the south, the majority are black. The black Sudanese for the most part have either converted to Christianity, or still practice their ancestral religions. The Arab Janjaweed militias are basically going through the country and wiping out the blacks, including the black Muslims.
It amazes me to here people try to justify our non-involvement in the Sudan. Our troops are occupied with the war on terror; we are spread to thin throughout the world. With each excuse, thousands more die.
Why do we not care?
One reason we do not care is that the media has barely covered the genocide. With the exception of a few great reporters, main stream media has paid no attention to the massacres. The American press was far more concerned with the Michael Jackson trial, or who killed Natalie Holloway, or the poor old man that Dick Cheney shot. Half a million dead, and all the media can focus on is a freak, a dead white girl, and a hunting accident. Where the hell is our perspective?
Some even go as far as to say that the Sudan is not our problem, and that we are busy fighting a "global war on terror." Well let me say this, if you are of this opinion, you are a jackass. The Sudan is not our problem? It's everyone's problem. The United States as well as all of Europe is primarily responsible for most of the horrible things that have taken place in almost every African nation. We all broke it, and we all need to fix it.
I wonder if the horrific images that are coming from the region would be received more sympathetically if the bodies of the dead were white.
We need to act now. The United States has an opportunity to reclaim some of our international credibility, and more importantly help save a generation of human beings. As citizens it is our job to talk about these events, debate them, do whatever it takes to keep the Sudan in the public dialogue. Maybe then the media will catch on, and the political swine will get up of their asses and actually do something. This is a big moment for us, a moment we cannot let pass. We cannot turn our heads, there is too much at stake.
posted by Nick at 8:32 PM
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