Last semester I wrote a column that attempted to explain the magnitude of genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Inadvertently, I was hoping to shed light on a humanitarian crisis so great yet so under-publicized. At the time I was writing last semester, the situation in Darfur was immensely bleak. Four hundred thousand civilians of all ages had died at the hands of a ruthless and government-supported militia known as the Janjaweed. Approximately two million people have been scattered and left homeless due to the Janjaweed torching their homes. Each month alone, thousands of people die because of the lack of basic necessities such as water, shelter and food. All of what I have said above is just as real as the War on Terror, but in comparison, the lack of press coverage between the Darfur Crisis and the War on Terror is simply unacceptable.
The best thing to do now is attempt to enlighten the unenlightened and educate those unaware of the disaster in Sudan. The crisis (basically) began in 2003 when insurgents in Darfur rebelled against the government of Sudan, resulting in retaliation efforts consisting of government-sponsored ethnic and racial violence. However, what is important to note is the number of insurgents from Darfur that initiated the violence is not nearly as large as the number of Darfur civilians that suffer. The government in Sudan continues to provoke ethnic tension, bomb civilian villages via aircraft and hinder international aid from helping the innocent that desperately need help.
“All Africa Global Media reports that daily atrocities committed by the Janjaweed are organized, armed and directed by the government of Sudan to commit abhorrent war crimes and crimes against humanity on racist grounds.” Kofi A. Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, says many parts of Darfur are now too dangerous for humanitarian groups to reach. This is very bad news when considering that at least half of Darfur now depends on international relief. In fact, just last week 100 relief workers had to be evacuated due to a surge of violence between troops and rebels in Khartoum, Sudan. As violence mounts and the death toll climbs every day, it is imperative that help is increased and resolutions are seriously discussed, because not until then will significant progress be made. Even British Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted, “The international community is failing people in Darfur.” It is time for the powerful and capable nations of the world to step up and help.
Currently the African Union has its troops stationed in Sudan in hopes of stabilizing the escalating violence. Based on these past three years, though, it is clear that they are incapable of handling the job on their own. Darfur has nearly deteriorated completely and the Africa Union has admitted that they will run out of funds to aid Darfur in March. Thankfully, the Africa Union appears to have finally called out for help and the United Nations seems ready to answer the call of duty. However, a concerning issue with the U.N. is the question of how large a task force is needed to properly complete the assignment. One United Nations special envoy in Sudan suggested 20,000. Despite how many ground troops are deployed, it is obvious that air support will also be needed. One U.N. spokeswoman said, “Fighting continues with heavy weapons,” which also goes to show that the Janjaweed have proven themselves a capable force demanding to be reckoned with. But before the U.N. can fully take over, they must convince Sudan’s president that his idea of “an African solution to an African crisis” is impractical and basically impossible. It seems that Sudan’s president stands alone or simply among the few when saying this because a statement from the summit of 53 Africa Union leaders recommended that peacekeeping issues be relegated to the United Nations. So, on behalf of your citizens who are now suffering from violent persecution and on behalf of the many more to come, I recommend, sir, that you hand the job over to United Nations as quickly as possible so improvement comes sooner rather than later.
As Darfur continues to unravel more and more everyday it is imperative that a committed international effort is planned and launched as soon as possible. As fighting threatens to spread into the neighboring nation of Chad, violence could escalate more than ever — and now the U.N. must escalate its efforts to prevent such a disastrous catastrophe from happening, or rather continuing.
