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The Situation in Darfur The current humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan erupted in February 2003. In response to rebel attacks on military installations, the government of Sudan, using proxy Arab militias, started a campaign of genocide. The actions of these militias (called the Janjaweed), coupled with air attacks by the Sudanese Army, have resulted in the deaths of half a million people, including children and infants. Over 3 million Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes and have been subjected to gang rapes, the burning of their homes and religious buildings, and other atrocities (which occur even in the purported shelter of refugee camps).
Currently there is an African Union “peacekeeping” force, which has no official authority to protect civilians and which lacks the resources to render any meaningful form of assistance. The non-governmental organizations attempting to operate in Sudan are forced to submit to impossible bureaucratic requirements by the Khartoum government, which is perpetuating the genocide. News outlets are prevented from reporting on the situation, and journalists who try to publicize the full extent of the horrors are being arrested. In a similar vein, the United Nations envoy to Sudan was forced to leave the country because the Khartoum government disapproved of the factual accounts being disseminated through his personal web log. The U.S. congress has labelled Darfur a genocide, but the UN has proven reluctant to use its full power to put a real force on the ground to protect civilians, and the UN security council is refusing to act. |