Charges of a 'new Rwanda' are being made regarding the current humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. To the credit of the United States and Colin Powell, pressure is being applied on the Sudanese government to have more consideration for the one million displaced people which includes 120,000 displaced refugees that are currently in the neighboring country of Chad. It is quite unfortunate that such actions have taken so long to have appeared. The crisis has been ongoing since renewed fighting broke out in February of last year as a continuation of an 18 year old civil war in Sudan. Channelnewsasia has quoted the president of the Chad: "I ask the international community to act very quickly. If not, what is happening on our border could become a humanitarian tragedy," "The international community has the tragedy in Rwanda on its conscience. It has to act rapidly, not only to take in the refugees but also to create conditions for stability in Darfur, to return refugees to their original living places with all the required security to allow them to live in peace,"
According to the article by Agence France Presse: At least 10,000 people have been killed in Darfur since fighting broke out in the western Sudanese region in February last year, when black African rebel groups rose up against the government in Khartoum.
The Sudanese government's response was to give an Arab militia, the Janjawid, a free rein in cracking down on the rebels. The Janjawid have been accused of conducting a scorched earth policy and committing "ethnic cleansing" in Darfur.
Fortunately, the entire world hasn't been blind to the situation. U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel went as far as protesting (and being arrested) in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington D.C. in order to bring attention to the dire situation in Sudan. According to his press release as published by AllAfrica.com: I'm protesting today to urge the United States government and the United Nations to take immediate action to stop the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. An international peacekeeping force must be mobilized to restore order in Darfur and to save the lives of the millions of African villagers currently at risk. We have to use any available means to compel the Sudanese government in Khartoum to stop assisting the murderous Janjaweed militias in their campaign of genocide, and we must assure that aid groups are given unfettered access to the millions of refugees who currently lack proper food, water, and shelter. I'm here today not just because of the thousands dying in Sudan; I'm also here for myself. My children or my grandchildren will ask me what I did when thousands of innocent men, women, and children were being killed, and if I say that I did nothing other than issue statements and speak harsh words, the blood of these people will not just be on the hands of the Sudanese government-it'll be on my hands as well.
Date: Friday, July 16, 2004 - 10:01 AM Printer Friendly  Email to a Friend 
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