SidneyWilliams

WorldCultureW/F
Oct.30th,2013
DarfurInSudan
TherearemanywarsandgenocidesthroughouthistorythetopicofDarfur
wasthefirstgenocideofthe21stcentury.Daily,wholevillagesarebeingdestroyed.
Hundredsofmen,women,andchildrenaredyingdaily.Womenandchildren
gettingraped,wellsbeingpoisoned,pollutedwatersources,peoplebeingburned
alive,andforwhat?Whatisthepriceofalifetothepeopledoingthis?Oil?
Money?Power?Itmustbefairlyinvaluable,considersincetheyear2003,overa
twelfthofthepopulationhasbeenkilledover2.8peoplehavebeendisplacedfrom
theirhomes.Over400villageshavebeendestroyedthousandsofpeoplehavefled
tonearbycountriesforsafety.Who,mayyouask,arefulfillingouttheseawful
crimes?Foralmost10yearstheSudaneseGovernmenthasbeentrainingaMilitia
groupcalledthe'Janjaweed'toraid,burn,anddestroyvillages.ThewordJanjaweed
translateinEnglishas'TheDevilonhorse'.Whywouldagovernmentterrorizeand
killtheirownpeople?Somepeoplearewillingtodoanythingformoney,and
personalgain.
Sudaninitselfisthelargestcountryinafrica,Darfurislocatedin
NortheasternAfrica,inbetweenEgypt,Uganda,andChad.Darfurisaregion
roughlythesizeofSpain(190,000squaremiles)itishometoabout6million
SidneyWilliams
WorldCultureW/F
Oct.30th,2013
people,withalmost100tribes.Mostdarfuriansareeithernomadsorfarmers,butall
muslim.MostofDarfurismadeupofimmenserollingplans,makingthemmore
vulnerableforattacks.
Mostofthisstartedwaybackin1956,shortlyaftertheirgained
independencefromthebritish,Sudanbeganenragedintwowarsfortheremainder
ofthe20thcentury.Majorityofbothwarswascenteredaroundeconomic,social,
andpoliticaldomination.Alongwiththescarcityofresourcesinthatarea.Thecivil
warwaspredominantlybetweenNorthandSouthSudan.Itwasalsoaroundthe
sametimewhentheSudaneseGovernmentdiscoveredoilundertheland.
Thefirstcivilwarproceededtoendin1972,butjustashort9yearslater,
brokeoutagain.Thistime,itwasmostlyrevolvingfaminerelatedeffects.Itwas
aroundthe1990swhentheviolenceinDarfurbegantopeek.Asaresultofboth
thesecostlywars,Darfurremainedunderdevelopedandpowerless.This,
combinedwithallegationsofJanjaweedmadeforsomeprettynastyattacksfrom
thegovernment.
Forexample,in2003,rebelgroupsattackanairportinAlFashir.Aircrafts,
Helicopters,andGunshipsweredestroyed.75peoplediedthiswasoneofthe
biggestblowstheSudaneseGovernmenthaseversuffered.Asaresultofthis
event,Darfurwaslockeddownandforeignerswereremoved.Theregionwas
SidneyWilliams
WorldCultureW/F
Oct.30th,2013
completelyclosedoff.
TheSudaneseGovernmentsoonwentonakillingspree.Aroundthesame
time,theystartedtrainingtheJanjaweed,eventhoughthegovernmentdenieshelping
theminanyway.TheJanjaweedarepaidbywhattheystealfromthevillager
commonlyknownaslooting.Theirallowedtorape,torture,kill,lootanddestroy
whateverpleasesthem.TheSudanesepresidenthassignedadocumentcalled
PeoplesArmedForcesAct,whichsaysthatthesoldiersdoingthesehorrid
crimescantbepunished.Which,inturn,supportstheallegationsthatthe
governmentis,infactkillingofftheirpeople.Oneofthemainreasonsthe
governmentisdoingthis,isbecauseoftheoillocatedunderthesevillages.Sudan
doesnthavetheresources,equipment,ormoneytodrillouttheoilthemselves,so
asaresulttheyrelyonotherstodoitforthem.Forexample,China,whoinfact,
buys80%oftheiroil.Therevenuethatisacquiredfromtheoilgoesdirectlyback
intothebudgetforwar,weapons,
andtrainingmoreJanjaweed.Whethertheyknowit,orchoosetoexceptit,Chinais
providingmostofthefundsforthishorridgenocide.
LetustakeaminutetotalkabouthowDarfuriansarebeingaffectedbytheir
owngovernment.Thesepeoplehavenothing.Mostoftheirfamilyhasbeen
murderedastheywatched.Manypeoplespendtheirdayswonderingwhat
SidneyWilliams
WorldCultureW/F
Oct.30th,2013
happenedtotheirfamilyunsureifthepeoplethelovethemostarealiveor
deceased.Imagineyourownchild,unawareiftheyarealive,notknowingthe
hardshipstheyarefacing,unabletoprotectthemfromharmsway.Icannoteven
comprehendtheamountofhorrorthesechildrenhasseen.Whotheyarenow,will
determinewhothenwillbecome.Rightnow,foryouth,itiscriticalfromthemto
havesomesenseofstability,somesenseofcomforttheydeservetobeinasafe
environment.UndoubtedlythesepeoplehaveseenmorecarcassesthenyouandI
canevencount.Overonehundredpeopledieeveryday.Whichaddsupto5000
peopledieeverymonth.Everythingtheyowned,burnedorstolenstruggling,and
fightingfortheirliveseveryday.Darfuriansareterrifiedofthegovernmentfearful
thatiftheyspeakout,they'llbeinprisonerorkilled.
In2006,theSudaneseGovernmentandSudanLiberationMovement(SML)signed
apeaceagreement,whichincludesprovisionforwealthandpowersharing.Four
yearslater,afterMinniMinnawibecametheirnewSeniorAssistant,andChairman,
theywithdrewfromthepeaceagreement.Minnawithenproceededtofleeto
SouthernSudan,andsincethen,hasbeendismissedasSeniorAssistant.
In2009,TheInternationalCodeCouncil,presidentOmaralBashirwas
indictedforthegenocides,rapes,andplundersofDarfurcitizens.Otherwarrants
wereissuedoutfortheformerMinisterofState,andtheJanjaweedmilitialeader.
SidneyWilliams
WorldCultureW/F
Oct.30th,2013
TheSudaneseGovernmentrefusestoreleaseeithersuspect.
Ittakesatremendousamounttositback,andletalltheseungodlythings
happentoacountry.Insteadofthegovernmenthurtingtheirpeople,andwatching
thembeingtorturedwithsuchbrutality,issickening.Thiscorruptgovernmentis
beingfueledbythethoughtofafatpaycheckasopposedtopeopleslivesbeing
destroyed.Theseinnocentpeopleshouldn'thavetoendupasastatisticdothe
words'love'and'kindness'meananythinganymore?
Bibliography
SidneyWilliams
WorldCultureW/F
Oct.30th,2013
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