Darfur

[Hawa]

With permission from the author I thought I should post something up since Darfur is hardly ever mentioned in this forum, thank you Keltoi for your reminder.

Darfur Holocaust;
September 11th, 2006

“Why is no one helping us?” he asked. “I don’t know why the world is ignoring what is being done to my people,” he added.

I could do nothing to solace him other than provide my being there for him anytime he felt like talking. His tone was shaky and I sensed tears in his voice. Even a man is not strong enough to suppress the feelings of injustice he has had to harbor every day.

Ibrahim contacted me some time back and gave me a heads-up on how things were going down there in Sudan. He is a Sudanese native from the tribe called ‘Zaqawa’ who hail from the western region that is suffering an indignant genocide as I type; Darfur.

I met Ibrahim by chance a year ago while studying in Sudan. He’s a very intelligent person and has the kind of persona which would make you think that everything in his life is going perfectly. But underneath that smiling face and contagious kindness there’s a suffering heart. He has no news of his relatives back in Darfur and bears the kind of discrimination that is not openly shown but can be sensed in the atmosphere. I sometimes cannot help but envy his ability to keep up a happy face with all the indignity he and his people have to endure; and at the same time can do nothing but pray for his people.

I was inspired to write about this in hopes that his voice and the cries of those undergoing the daily humiliation and torture in Darfur wouldn’t go unheard.

I believe that when any government is found guilty of mass murders, other nations are obligated to intervene. When a leader of a sovereign nation is found blameworthy for supporting a terrorist militia and trying to cover it up, other leaders or the citizens of that nation have the power to bring him/her down. When there is a humanitarian crisis in an area, aid groups must be given safe passage to those suffering in order to relieve them.

But what happens when no one intervenes? What happens when the citizens don’t even have the power to openly express their distaste for that leader, let alone bring him/her down from power? What happens when that leader openly denies aid groups safe access to the people in the troubled regions?

Only one word comes to mind: genocide.

In a country that systematically victimizes its people and rules them with fear, I can understand why the citizens have no voice at all. When a normal scene is a group of spoiled teens driving custom BMWs and Porsches imported from Germany zooming past a pick-up truck filled with a dozen homeless passengers on the rear bed, I can understand why not much is done for Darfur. When people treat you based you your wealth and ethnicity, I know why there’s silence among the citizens (oh they’re from so-and-so tribe; it’s not our problem).

But when the Sudanese news channels talk about anything but Darfur, something is going wrong. When simple non-violent protests are sometimes answered with brute force and torture, something is off-beam. When the president’s motorcade of custom made BMWs occupied by young commandos rush off to cut the red tape on a new ATM machine while others suffer in the western region, something is seriously wrong.

I honestly don’t know everything that goes on in Darfur because I haven’t been to the region. Nor have I ever read any of the Sudanese newspapers because there is no freedom of press there and the government obviously ‘proofreads’ the papers before they hit the printing machines. All I know is that a terrorist militia receives funds from the government to wipe out those in Darfur. All I know is that countless scores of men, women, and children have been raped and killed simply because of their ethnicity. All I know is that millions have fled their homes to nearby Chad in order to stay alive in hopes of building a new life. All I know is that millions more are stranded in Darfur like sitting ducks in hopes that this will end before they too, become nothing more than a statistic on the death toll.

It’s been 3½ years and counting and the situation has only worsened. Several aid agencies have been working there way before this has been dubbed genocide, only to be forced to leave for their own safety. Ever since this began, the central government has been diplomatically dancing around the negotiation table avoiding all calls for peace in the region. What’s worse is that the government is now denying peace troops from entering the region to provide help and safety to the people.

As for outside help, we have the usual: the American government is trying to keep up its image as the world’s foremost peace and ‘democracy’ promoter by repeatedly sending senior officials to Darfur. After all, what is a war-torn, famine stricken, drought suffering region without US visits? Be it to increase international recognition, sign business deals, or simply to offer assistance, the US government is usually the first to come to the ‘aid’ of those in troubled regions and there is no exception here. If USA was really up for peace in Darfur, they would have asserted more pressure on the thick heads that rule Sudan but it’s pretty obvious that the recently found oil is a big player in their frequent visits. USA is playing another dodgy diplomatic game in Sudan, as it has before in many other places. It says it won’t give up on the peace when it actually won’t give up on coming back every time to sign a new peace oil deal. It puts oil deals above the lives of the innocent people of Darfur and then wonders why people don’t like its policies. I could understand the reasons USA won’t take a more active role in the Darfur crisis, but they don’t have to make it so obvious by sending senior officials to sign oil deals to satisfy their ever growing oil addiction.

These people are not like the Palestinians who are being punished for electing Hamas into office. They’re not like the Iraqis who are suffering because USA invaded their country and instigated a civil war. These people aren’t like the Lebanese who suffered a month of continuous pounding by Israel because it has some issues with Hezbollah. They’re not like the Somalis who suffered because of some mentally deranged war lords and a disgruntled Islamic militia. These people are simply being punished for being something they can’t change; for something that will always be a part of them: their ethnicity.

To the people of Darfur, a peace on paper means nothing as they wonder if there is any way to put an end to their pain. If the open support of the Sudanese central government for the militia doesn’t cry genocide, I don’t know what does. If the blatant denial of peace troops to enter the region doesn’t say anything, I don’t know what does. I ask you not to pity these people, but to offer your prayers that this ends soon so Ibrahim and his people can finally close this sad chapter in their lives and have their dignity as human beings restored.

You can make a difference by signing a petition to stop the crisis in Darfur. I also recommend the Save Darfur organization. http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/international_justice/darfur/voices/index.aspx?source=dq
http://www.savedarfur.org/content?splash=yes

 

[Woodrow]

I think before anybody tries to decide who is who it may be best if we knew a little more about the people involved. Most of us are awre of the "Genocide" being commited against the Sudanese by the Janaweed, the question is what do we know about the Janaweed?

Background

Since February 2003, the government of Sudan has used militias known as “Janjaweed”3 as its principal counter-insurgency ground force in Darfur against civilians from the Fur, Zaghawa, Massalit and other ethnic groups from which two rebel groups known as the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are drawn. The government-backed Janjaweed militias are derived from the “Abala,” camel-herding nomads who migrated to Darfur from Chad and West Africa in the 1970s, and from Arab camel-herding tribes from North Darfur.4 With government aerial support, arms, communications, and other backing, and often alongside government troops, the Janjaweed militias have been a key component in the government’s military campaign in Darfur; a campaign that has resulted in the murder, rape and forced displacement of thousands of civilians.5

Hundreds of villages in Darfur have been totally or partially burned and destroyed by bombing and ground attacks. More than a million people have been forced from their homes and more than 158,000 people have fled Darfur for neighboring Chad. The vast majority of displaced civilians remain in Darfur where most are settled in camps and on the outskirts of towns, dependent on international humanitarian assistance that the Sudan government has blocked and restricted for months. In these areas under government control, displaced civilians continue to be preyed upon by the Janjaweed militias who are based in camps and villages in the rural areas they control, from which they have forcibly displaced most of the original inhabitants.

Despite the humanitarian ceasefire agreement signed by the government of Sudan and rebel groups on April 8, 2004, the violence has not ceased. Attacks on civilians have continued, including incidents of government bombing of both civilians and military targets, Janjaweed raids on civilians and their livestock within Darfur and across the border into Chad, and rebel attacks on various targets including aid convoys.6

Source: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/19/darfur9096.htm

Sadly this looks like a civil war. Brother against brother, Muslim against Muslim. How do we stop the killing without siding with either faction and if we side who do we side with?

 

[Woodrow]

Who is Janjaweed aligned with?

Sudan

Sudan is torn by two major conflicts. The country has been split north and south, between Muslim and Christian, for more than twenty years. The National Islamic Front (NIF) government in Khartoum has promoted this conflict, arming Muslim militias, engaging in slavery, and committing aerial attacks on civilians. This Sudanese government identifies Islam as its state religion, and it aligns itself with Islamic extremist groups including Hamas and Hezbollah. Operation Lifeline Sudan, a United Nations-coordinated relief effort, estimates that 800,000 people currently are affected by this conflict.

More recently, a second catastrophic struggle has come to the attention of the international community. Ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region, in western Sudan, has pitted government-authorized Arab Muslim militias, the Janjaweed, against African Muslim settlements. The militias are attacking civilian villages, raping and murdering their citizens, and looting their possessions. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that 213,000 people have been displaced into neighboring Chad by this ongoing attempt to purge the Darfur region of non-Arabs; casualties are nearing 80,000.

Source: http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/issues_africa.shtml

 

[Hawa]

Brother Woodrow I dont see why you would put the word Genocide in quotes..the number of deaths has been put to 70000, doesnt that fall under Genocide?

The government of Sudan should not be called Islamic, it is anything but. Whether it aligns itself with Hamas and Hezbollah is at this point very irrelevant, I fail to see why you highlighted that particular sentence.
Corrupt leaders should be removed from Muslim lands, the situation is heartbreaking and our silence only hastens the criminals in their activities..

 

[AHMED_GUREY]

this is very sad

 

[Woodrow]

Brother Woodrow I dont see why you would put the word Genocide in quotes..the number of deaths has been put to 70000, doesnt that fall under Genocide?

The government of Sudan should not be called Islamic, it is anything but. Whether it aligns itself with Hamas and Hezbollah is at this point very irrelevant, I fail to see why you highlighted that particular sentence.
Corrupt leaders should be removed from Muslim lands, the situation is heartbreaking and our silence only hastens the criminals in their activities..

Must be our age difference. I put Genocide in quotes because When I was in school we used quotes as emphasis and agreement. The reason for empasisng the alignment with Hamas and Hizbullah is to point out the difficulty in seperating this from being an internal problem. No matter which side is helped the helper is going to be condemned. No matter who does what, it will be seen as an intrusion and unwanted occupation.

 

[north_malaysian]

Both are Muslims .... in fact both are black Africans.... the ONLY difference that one speak Arabic and one speak African languages.... CRAZY.... if those Janjaweed UNDERSTAND ISLAM.... they dont do this stupid thing....

 

[Zulkiflim]

Salaam,

Both are muslim but what are doing is it Islamic?

Nope,..

But from both article it is clear that no one know the true reason why this conflict is happening..

What is the real reason?

And one wodner why the US or Security council is not doing anything,,perhaps becasue it need the aggresors..

We have already seen many times when the US want civil war or to prop up a dictatorship FOR ITS OWN PEACE>.

Inshallah,may they muslim in Sudan awaken and follow the way of Somalia Islmaic court and do not put the secular world in much importance.

To the end we will all die ,to the grave we will go and to life eternal in fire or with Allah..

Individual choices.

 

[Woodrow]

And one wodner why the US or Security council is not doing anything,,perhaps becasue it need the aggresors..

What right would the US have in interfering with the internal affairs of another nation? Neither faction has asked for or even wants US intervention.

US involvement would be no different then the current involvement in Iraq. we would be the aggressors in an undeveloped country. the fighting would not stop and we would have US soldiers defending themselves from both groups with the final result being the US going to war against Darfur.

People holler for us to get out of Iraq, then holler for us to go into a similar situation, in which the outcome will be the same.

 

[Hawa]

And one wodner why the US or Security council is not doing anything,,perhaps becasue it need the aggresors..

What right would the US have in interfering with the internal affairs of another nation? Neither faction has asked for or even wants US intervention.

US involvement would be no different then the current involvement in Iraq. we would be the aggressors in an undeveloped country. the fighting would not stop and we would have US soldiers defending themselves from both groups with the final result being the US going to war against Darfur.

People holler for us to get out of Iraq, then holler for us to go into a similar situation, in which the outcome will be the same.

The US undertook the role as the World's policeman with great zeal when it came to Iraq...yes, the situation is out of control, but that doesnt mean the greatest contributor to the UN cannot push for peace talks in Sudan.
Those where the sentiments of the writer by the way, frankly I think it's the responsibility of the Muslim world to put an end to these atrocities.
It's utterly pathetic how they keep quiet, I guess African's simply arent worth the hassle..

 

[Zulkiflim]

And one wodner why the US or Security council is not doing anything,,perhaps becasue it need the aggresors..

What right would the US have in interfering with the internal affairs of another nation? Neither faction has asked for or even wants US intervention.

US involvement would be no different then the current involvement in Iraq. we would be the aggressors in an undeveloped country. the fighting would not stop and we would have US soldiers defending themselves from both groups with the final result being the US going to war against Darfur.

People holler for us to get out of Iraq, then holler for us to go into a similar situation, in which the outcome will be the same.

Salaam,

It is simple why the world blae the US for most of it troubles.

Look at the history of the US ,CIA and other agencies,create strifea nd dissent to casue civil wars for the US peace.

And in all that the US never once admitted to its underhanded dealing,but rahter say otehr are at fault while accpeting no blame to itself.

Search for this Secrets of the CIA
Or wath the video on you tube.

and the latest video just posted by in the world forum about CIA using drug money to support it evil operations.
Maybe that why the US allow Afghan to grow poppy again.

So it simple,can you be truested after so much lies and continue to lie?
And all for for the UNITED STATES own safety..

 

[Woodrow]

Salaam,

It is simple why the world blae the US for most of it troubles.

Look at the history of the US ,CIA and other agencies,create strifea nd dissent to casue civil wars for the US peace.

And in all that the US never once admitted to its underhanded dealing,but rahter say otehr are at fault while accpeting no blame to itself.

Search for this Secrets of the CIA
Or wath the video on you tube.

and the latest video just posted by in the world forum about CIA using drug money to support it evil operations.
Maybe that why the US allow Afghan to grow poppy again.

So it simple,can you be truested after so much lies and continue to lie?
And all for for the UNITED STATES own safety..

Quite true, which is why any USA intervention would be more destructive than helpful. Even with the best of intentions that is how any USA intervention would be seen and this places the USA into the posistion of only being a meddler and not a helper. Help, from us would cause more hardships then they would solve.

 

[therebbe]

With permission from the author I thought I should post something up since Darfur is hardly ever mentioned in this forum, thank you Keltoi for your reminder.

It is because who is the commiter of the crime.

 

[Quruxbadaan]

And one wodner why the US or Security council is not doing anything,,perhaps becasue it need the aggresors..

What right would the US have in interfering with the internal affairs of another nation? Neither faction has asked for or even wants US intervention.

US involvement would be no different then the current involvement in Iraq. we would be the aggressors in an undeveloped country. the fighting would not stop and we would have US soldiers defending themselves from both groups with the final result being the US going to war against Darfur.

People holler for us to get out of Iraq, then holler for us to go into a similar situation, in which the outcome will be the same.

asalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah

i see what you mean however i must say that regardless whether or not the intervention is desired something has to happen for this to stop

in the end its all the will and the ordainment of allah swt and nothing happens without his authority us as Muslims should want for the fighting between brother & brother to come to an end we should not try to justify why the world of muslims are idly twidling their thumbs and saying " ohhh interference is unwanted" it shouldnt matter to us who did what in the begining and how it all started people are deing right this moment and those people are more cluless to the situation than alot of us are

so at the least let us make dua for those muslimeen in sudan and in iraq and in palistine and anywhere that they are enduring hardship.

Maa salaama

 

[Woodrow]

asalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah

i see what you mean however i must say that regardless whether or not the intervention is desired something has to happen for this to stop

in the end its all the will and the ordainment of allah swt and nothing happens without his authority us as Muslims should want for the fighting between brother & brother to come to an end we should not try to justify why the world of muslims are idly twidling their thumbs and saying " ohhh interference is unwanted" it shouldnt matter to us who did what in the begining and how it all started people are deing right this moment and those people are more cluless to the situation than alot of us are

so at the least let us make dua for those muslimeen in sudan and in iraq and in palistine and anywhere that they are enduring hardship.

Maa salaama

so at the least let us make dua for those muslimeen in sudan and in iraq and in palistine and anywhere that they are enduring hardship.

Ameen

As an American Muslim that is probably the most I can do besides doing what I can to support relief organizations. I think it would only worsen the situation if America were to try to interven as an "Official" American preciense and would lead to a situation much like Iraq. I believe for us American Muslims we can do more by donating money and/or time to the various relief organizations. But, that is just my thoughts. But, we can all make Dua.

 

[blunderbus]

The United Nations tried to help the Darfurians in the United Nations but its resolutions were blocked by China with backing from Qatar (an Islamic country).

The great tragedy for the people of Darfur is that their victimizers are Muslims. Most muslims (certainly the violent ones) ONLY care about injustice when it is a kaffir mistreating a Muslim, otherwise they couldn't care less. (ask the Kurds if you don't believe me)

 

[blunderbus]

I misstyped, the first sentence should say "The United States tried to help the Darfurians..."

 

[thirdwatch512]

well of course darfur is being covered up.. covered by the headlines of the war in iraq and such.

it's time that action is taken against the sudan government. enough is enough. and why hasn't anyone done anything yet!

 

[blunderbus]

Huge protests over cartoons in an obscure Danish newspaper, but nothing over the wholesale rape and murder of fellow Muslims. No huge protests outside the Sudanese embassy, no burnings of Sudanese flags, NOTHING.

What the people of Darfur are suffering far outwieghs in magnatude and viciousness any injustices done by America or Israel in Iraq or Palestine yet the great "muslim nation" turns away and does nothing.

 

[stannis]

Are the people of Darfur Muslim? I thought they were Black Christian?