First let me explain the Dafur conflict, although it should actually be Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir that should be doing the explaining. Darfur is in Sudan, near the border of Chad. Sudan is at the upper right part of Africa. The conflict started in February 2003 when the SLA (Sudan Liberation Army) and the JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) in Darfur took to violent protests against the government saying the Sudan's government favors Arabs over black Africans. Death toll in Dafur is between 400,000-600,000 by violence and staRVation in what looks like ethnic cleansing, with over 2.5 million displaced refugees. Thousands of the refugees are continually raped by Sudan's armed military with no punishment on those who victimize them.
Pamela Shifman, of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said she heard dozens of horrifying stories from victims of sexual assaults. These accounts she heard includes countless gang rapes. She stated that, "Rape is used as a weapon to terrorize individual women and girls, and also to terrorize their families and to terrorize entire communities." Then she went on to say, "No woman or girl is safe." Shifman said that every woman and girl refugee that she spoke to in Dafur had either been sexually assaulted or knew of someone who has been raped. These rapes were said to often occur when they left the mild safety of their camp or settlement to find firewood for cooking. On the other hand, if a boy was caught, the Sudan military would kill him on sight.
In March of 2009, President al-Bashir was found guilty for three counts of genocide, seven counts of war crimes, five crimes against humanity and two of murder. A arrest warrant was issued by for the Sudanese president, who is still in power and rejected the charges saying, "Whoever has visited Darfur, met officials and discovered their ethnicities and tribes...will know that all these things are lies."
Angelina Jolie being a UNICEF rep wrote an article for People magazine in 2009 stating, "Bashir's response to the indictments was an insult to the international community and the hundreds of thousands who have died in Darfur. He kicked out of his country 16 international aid groups who were desperately trying to save his citizens. He even appointed one of the suspects, Ahmed Haroun, to a committee supposedly investigating human-rights abuses in Darfur. You'll struggle to find a better illustration of the culture of impunity that reigns in Khartoum."
On October 2009, US President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, and on October 19 2009 the Obama Administration will announce a new policy that will not make major concessions to Bashir, whose government is designated a "state sponsor of terrorism" by the State Department. That means the new US policy will be to reward Sudan with new lucrative trade agreements, loans and so forth in return for changing the current situation in Darfur. Or in other words, the US President does not wish to embark into a war to imprison Sudan's President al-Bashir for the crimes that he has been found guilty of, but instead will offer al-Bashir deals that will make the him and Sudan, more powerful. John Lock said, "Money creates power and power corrupts." If that be true, what would it do to an already corrupt government? It sounds like things are only going to get worse to the refugees in Darfur.
Because of the situation being ignored by the world's community, Angelina Jolie says, "Darfur has almost disappeared from the news, and experts now call it a "low-intensity" conflict. But the intensity of the crisis has not lessened for those who are struggling to suRVive." She tries to awaken the world about the atrocities that are being committed every single day in Darfur against the helpless refugees. Honestly I wonder if the world would pay more attention to the Darfur refugees had they been any other color than black, making it appear that the lack of publicity may mean the world is still stuck in a racially segregated place. Angelina goes on to say, "people from Darfur have lived destitute lives in refugee camps in Chad for six years now. Camps with more than 2 million internally displaced persons inside Darfur are even worse." This clearly indicates that ignoring the situation will not allow it to cure itself over time, but only will be cured with the force and peace that the US military can offer them, and most US soldiers would gladly give to lend a hand.
Since February 2003, rape, murder and starvation have become a daily occurrence for the refugees of Darfur. Imagine your son or daughter leaving a few meters beyond the camp to get firewood and then the Sudan military gang rapes your daughter and murders your son. Under these circumstances, what do you think should be done in Sudan to correct this injustice? Have you ever heard of The Never Ending Story? Well, the refugees in Darfur have because they are living it every day, in hopes of being rescued, of the possibility that tomorrow will be a better day. Please step up to the plate and write your local congressman or senator asking them to bring US forces into Sudan to forcibly free the refuges that live under the fear of al-Bashir, or think about the skills that you have and find a way to use those skills to help others become aware of the cruel injustices at Darfur.
IN March 20, 2003 the US government claimed that they had evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and that they posed a threat to the security of the US and its allies. The US went to war with Iraq over this issue, yet...there was no WMD present in Iraq...they were wrong! The dead and mutilated bodies of 450,000 human beings in Sudan obviously show more injustice than any that President Bush could identify in Iraq. The US had less reason to go to war in Iraq than they do currently in Sudan. Take a stand and stop the murders, the rapes the starvation today.
Please check out my novels, West's Time Machine, George's Pond, Dragons of Asgard or UFO Sightings. Thank you. SCW
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Please have a look at my novels Wests Time Machine, and Georges Pond.
West's Time Machine
George's Pond
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