U.S. indifference to genocide must come to an end

by Shakira Croce

Tuesday November 15, 2005

As you are reading this editorial, hundreds of innocent civilians are being forced out of their villages, raped and murdered in a rapidly unfolding tragedy in Darfur.

Despite the fact that genocide has been raging in Sudan for over two years and that this has been declared the largest humanitarian crisis the world faces today, little has been done to stop the slaughter.

Now with 400,000 dead civilians and nearly 1.8 million people displaced, the situation in Darfur echoes the cries of the 800,000 people killed in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

In February 2003 the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement rebelled against the Arab authoritarian Sudanese government. The government reacted by arming and directing a group of African Arabs known as the Janjaweed to destroy the black civilian population in order to prevent a future rebellion.

According to the findings of the U. N. Commission of Inquiry, which met on Jan. 25, "government forces and militias conducted indiscriminate attacks, including killing of civilians, torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced displacement, throughout Darfur. These acts were conducted on a widespread and systematic basis."

Over 200,000 refugees continue to flee from Darfur into about 10 aid camps in the desert region of bordering Chad.
With such a large concentration of people (90 percent of whom are women and children) an outbreak of disease could be immensely devastating. Due to limited funds, unsanitary conditions fester within these camps and basic necessities, especially water, are in scarce supply.

In addition, security for humanitarian workers has deteriorated due to the Janjaweed’s attacks on peacekeepers, such as the Sept. 25 raid in Chad, which killed 75, and another attack on a refugee camp in Darfur on Sept. 28, which left 29 dead.

As a result of this extremely dangerous environment, the United Nations announced on Oct. 13 that it will withdraw all non-essential staff, even though an increased number of camps and supplies are urgently needed.

One group that is listening and responding to these muffled and desperate voices is SLC’s chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND), one of a coalition of over 200 colleges and high schools in Canada and the United States.

An SLC chapter of STAND was established this year by Sophomores Sarah Kobetis and David Brody. "We thought that not enough people know about the atrocities occurring in Darfur," Kobetis said.

"The situation in Darfur is worsening, and it seems as though we’re getting further and further away from a solution."
Both former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the United Nations have labeled the Darfur atrocities as "genocide."
The United Nations said, "there is no other place in the world where so many lives are at stake."

Also, President Bush said, "We made our position very clear to the Sudanese government—they must stop Janjaweed [militia] violence, they must provide access to humanitarian relief for the people who suffer."

But neither the United States nor the international community has taken action to ensure that this massacre is brought to an end. Although the United States has adopted one of the strongest verbal stances on Darfur by denouncing the genocide, direct intervention must occur immediately.

The United States has given approximately $700 million in humanitarian aid, but this is equivalent to only a small percentage of our Gross Domestic Product. This lack of initiative can be attributed in part to the nation’s blurred focus on the war in Iraq and its general attitude toward those who are destitute, for whom the United States has historically shown little regard.
The African Union needs support to expand its work in Darfur to a full peacekeeping operation. The world is looking to the United States to spearhead an effort to stop the genocide in Darfur by providing the necessary funds and leadership.

A swiftly implemented humanitarian aid plan must be agreed upon before it is too late. An estimated 15,000 people continue to die every month as the world ignores this tragic situation. With U.S. leadership and U.N. support, African Union forces would be crucially strengthened.

STAND recently circulated a petition to urge the U.S government to send peacekeeping troops to Darfur. The group will be hosting a screening of Hotel Rwanda in order "to raise awareness at SLC about the consequences of international indifference during genocide," Kobetis said.

STAND is also raising money to help sponsor a school in a Darfur refugee camp. They are currently selling Students Against Genocide t-shirts to support these efforts. Please get involved by attending STAND’s meetings on Mondays at 6 p.m. in the Library Pillow Room in order to do your part to stop the egregious destruction of innocent human beings in Darfur.

Hotel Rwanda will be screened Nov. 16 at 9pm in Titsworth Lecture Hall. Please email Sarah Kobetis at skobetis@slc.edu for more information on STAND’s activities.