"Genocide in Darfur | United Human Rights Council." The United Human Rights Council | Educate Yourself & Others to Bring Change in the World. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide-in-sudan.htm.
Reeves., Eric. "Genocide in Darfur - How the Horror Began." Sudan Tribune: Plural News and Views on Sudan. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
http://www.sudantribune.com/Genocide-in-Darfur-How-the-Horror,11445.
Code, Zip. "Genocide in Darfur, Sudan." Darfur Scorecard. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. http://www.darfurscores.org/darfur.
"Genocide in Darfur." The Nation. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
http://www.thenation.com/article/genocide-darfur.
Stop the Genocide in Darfur. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
http://www.sudan-parliament.org/.
"Darfur Timeline." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
http://www.un.org/News/dh/dev/scripts/darfur_formatted.htm.
Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. http://www.cbsnews.com/?tag=hdr;snav.
"Darfur." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Global Issues In Context. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. (NWSS LIBRARY)
"Sudan." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Global Issues In Context. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. (NWSS LIBRARY)
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Reflection B
From the use of technology, I found that learning about a topic is more fun than just using books. I used some information from movies and graphs from the internet that I would ever be able to find in a book. My knowledge of specific topics has expanded over the years because of technology. Everything I needed was really easy to find through the internet, but everyone has there own way of learning, so people might have a different opinion.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Reflection A
I chose this topic because I am interested in the Social Studies side of learning like history, wars, etc, also I have never heard of the Darfur genocide before. What I have noticed is people just don't care enough to make a change. After watching the movie "Darfur Now" I learned that not only do we not care, most people don't even know whats going on in the world including Sudan and all of Africa for that matter. By learning about this topic it has definitely changed my understanding of the issues of the world. By learning about this topic, it makes me wonder that maybe all Africa is in state of Famine and genocides because its marginalized by the rest of the world.
What I think
This whole thing started in 2003, so yes I do have a few things to say. First, why did it take four years for Al-Bashir to allow the UN into Sudan? By denying the United Nations access to a country isn't it obvious that something is wrong or someone is hiding the truth. I understand the process of politics is slow, but they let the fighting, rapes and murders of thousands of Darfur's citizens continue for four years before the UN put there foot down. In the four years too many people died, too many people lost there homes. The UN has been in Sudan about five years now and people are still dying from starvation and disease because 2.5 million people are scattered all over Sudan making it almost impossible for them to find humanitarian aid. I am still trying to understand that if a country is suspected of genocide, why did they still need approval of the accused (Al-Bashir) to enter Sudan?
How the problem is being solved
By Paul Richards, AFP
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir rejected the deployment of U.N. troops in Darfur
Photo By Sayyid Azim, AP
Sudan needs a comprehensive political solution.China has been criticized for not pressing the government to accept a UN peacekeeping presence and has remained largely uninvolved. China has a lot of business interests in Sudan, and they buy around two thirds of Sudan’s oil exports. China, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations security council, used their veto to delay an UN/AU joint force in Darfur.
The International Criminal Court was put on the case of Darfur in 2005 by the UN. The court launched an investigation into war crimes, which is the largest investigation they have ever done. In 2010, the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of the President of Sudan al-Bashir on charges of war crimes, torture, and other notable crimes against humanity. This was a big step because technically they don’t have the ability to enforce arrest warrants. It was the first ever arrest warrant for a sitting head of state.
The AU has a 7,000 person peacekeeping force in Darfur which became part of the joint UN/AU peacekeeping force in 2007. Politically, the AU has increased its power in Darfur, refusing to elect Sudanese President al-Bashir as its head, but some think its influence is too limited.
The Arab League has stood back from the crisis in Darfur and gone back-and-forth with their opinions on the matter. The Arab League supported al Bashir’s refusal to accept UN troops in 2006. What is surprising about this is that later on several Arab states pressured the government to support a AU/UN force.
Nongovernmental, advocacy and humanitarian organizations have taken a huge and visible role in the Darfur crisis. Aid organizations support over 2.5 million people in the Darfur region. Human Rights Watch has played a big part in bringing the conflict to light by smuggling out a video of the atrocities in 2004. Recently the Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network was set up to seize the opportunity to help prevent new mass violence both around the referendum in southern Sudan.
Dafur civil society leader Tijani Seise signs truce documents in Doha on Thursday March 18, 2010. Photo—AP / Osama Faisal
Monday, 9 January 2012
Who is involved?
The Sudanese Government, The Janjaweed, The Rebel groups( Justice and Equality Movement, and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army), United Nations, African Union, and of cores the citizens of Darfur all play a major role in the outcome of Sudan.
The Government of Sudan is responsible for marginalizing the Non-Arab tribes in Darfur, which led to the creation of two rebel groups(JEM and SLM) that opposed and tried to overthrow the government. In retaliation, the government sent in their "proxy" force, the Janjaweed.
The Janjaweed or “devils on horseback” are an Arab Militia. They attacked hundreds of villages throughout Darfur. Over 400 villages were completely destroyed and millions of civilians were forced to flee their homes. The genocide in Darfur has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people. The Sudanese government disputes these estimates and denies any connection with the Janjaweed.
The rebels fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the Janjaweed. The Rebels are known for attacking government posts, and economic targets like oil fields. An example would be when the JEM attacked the Defra oilfield in the Kordofan region of Sudan. The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company, a Chinese-led consortium controls the field. They claim that the revenue from oil sold to China funds the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militia.
Alliances like the United Nations and the African Union play a major role in the fighting, and protection of the remaining population of Darfur, which are in camps all over the region. They are also responsible for assisting an inclusive political process, contributing to the promotion of human rights and the rule of law. Monitoring and reporting on the situation along the borders of Chad and the Central African Republic is also a important mission for the United Nations.
The Citizens are most effected by this conflict. Most victims are African, since the Janjaweed are Arab, the conflict quickly turned from a war to a genocide. The Janjaweed are feared by the locals because of the brutality and the extermination of the Africans due to different beliefs. There is about 400,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced. The death tool continues to rise because humanitarian aid cant keep up with the growing need of food and water, so people die from dehydration, starvation and disease.
CBS News "A new Approach to Darfur" October 19, 2009 4:00 PM
The Government of Sudan is responsible for marginalizing the Non-Arab tribes in Darfur, which led to the creation of two rebel groups(JEM and SLM) that opposed and tried to overthrow the government. In retaliation, the government sent in their "proxy" force, the Janjaweed.
The Janjaweed or “devils on horseback” are an Arab Militia. They attacked hundreds of villages throughout Darfur. Over 400 villages were completely destroyed and millions of civilians were forced to flee their homes. The genocide in Darfur has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people. The Sudanese government disputes these estimates and denies any connection with the Janjaweed.
The rebels fighting against the Sudanese Government, including the Janjaweed. The Rebels are known for attacking government posts, and economic targets like oil fields. An example would be when the JEM attacked the Defra oilfield in the Kordofan region of Sudan. The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company, a Chinese-led consortium controls the field. They claim that the revenue from oil sold to China funds the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militia.
Alliances like the United Nations and the African Union play a major role in the fighting, and protection of the remaining population of Darfur, which are in camps all over the region. They are also responsible for assisting an inclusive political process, contributing to the promotion of human rights and the rule of law. Monitoring and reporting on the situation along the borders of Chad and the Central African Republic is also a important mission for the United Nations.
The Citizens are most effected by this conflict. Most victims are African, since the Janjaweed are Arab, the conflict quickly turned from a war to a genocide. The Janjaweed are feared by the locals because of the brutality and the extermination of the Africans due to different beliefs. There is about 400,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced. The death tool continues to rise because humanitarian aid cant keep up with the growing need of food and water, so people die from dehydration, starvation and disease.
CBS News "A new Approach to Darfur" October 19, 2009 4:00 PM
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
The Cause
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| "The Janjaweed Militias." Free Forum Hosting - ZetaBoards. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. |
Most people don't know that all this began in 2003. Ironically this genocide was unnoticed because it was in the shadows, while the rest of the world's attention was focused on the war in Iraq. The victims are non-Arab tribes known as Muslim-Africans. These people have been politically and economically marginalized. Sudan has a long history of civil disagreement, and since the 1970's Arabs and Muslim-Africans have been in competition over the scarce primary resources of land and water. Darfur, being mostly non-Arab, felt they were being discriminated against and that led to the uprising of two rebel movements. The Janjaweed, hired by the government, consists of 20,000 men mainly on horses or camel. They brought the Darfur citizens to their knees. Not only was the Janjaweed attacking the rebels, as they traveled through Darfur they attacked every village, killed every man, and raped the women.With scarce resources, the people were faced with emergency conditions without government support. Officials in Khartoum (Capital of Sudan) began funding the Arab militia who already slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Darfur's population. They destroyed all crops, cut down fruit trees, poisoned water supplies, and slaughtered all cattle. Darfur's citizens had been pushed into the desert or into camps in nearby Chad. Humanitarian aid was not able to keep pace with the growing need. African tribal groups were being slaughtered or were dying of starvation and disease. Which sadly meant that those efforts of helping citizens was not slowing down the death toll. You are all probably thinking the same thing, why is the United Nations not showing a greater effort? Well the answer to that question is simple, and it led to thousands of more deaths. The Sudanese government denied UN rights to air space, so humanitarian supplies were cut off and no armed forces were aloud in the country. With the UN struggling to gain entry to Sudan, it left the African Union's ground force of about 7,000 troops to gain control of the situation. You don't have to be a genius to figure out that 7,000 can't defeat a force of 20,000, so people continued to die. Racism, poverty, greed, and religion all played a role in the genocide of Darfur, espically with a government that does not value human life. In my opinion one of the main causes is that the world just stood back in silence letting the problem grow.
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| Shattered lives: a young boy, in what’s left of his home, after Janjaweed militias attacked. Sven Torfinn / Panos Pictures |
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