U.N. Report Says Darfur Violence Is Not Genocide

[gottaB]

The commission's study details human rights violations and war crimes, and says some may have acted with a 'genocidal intention.'

UNITED NATIONS — A U.N. commission on Sudan has concluded that systematic, government-backed violence in the western region of Darfur was not genocide, but that there was evidence of crimes against humanity with an ethnic dimension.

The report documents violations of international human rights law, incidents of war crimes by militias and the rebels fighting them, and names individuals who may have acted with a "genocidal intention." But there was not sufficient evidence to indicate that Khartoum had a state policy intended to exterminate a particular racial or ethnic group, said diplomats familiar with the report.

It recommends referring the cases to the International Criminal Court, but leaves other options open. The United States, which opposes the court, has proposed a war crimes tribunal in Tanzania to prosecute atrocities committed in Darfur.

U.N. Report Says Darfur Violence Is Not Genocide....

[seriousstan]

1. U.N. says it is not genocide untol the last person is dead!

[candle_bright]

5. Exactly.

This is very disheartening.

[gottaB]

6. a lot of people are in grave danger

The systematic state-orchestrated violence with an ethnic dimension has a huge body count, but it could easily get 10x worse if nothing is done. There are over two million people in need food in Darfur. WFP reached less than half of them in January.

Lately the rebel groups have become a problem for relief agencies too. There will be much fingerpointing and hemming and hawing on the part of regional and world powers. Any excuse to avoid getting involved will be latched on to.

[Igel]

2. Of course it's not genocide.

If it's genocide, then the UN and its member countries have to do something to stop it. Sanctions, even intervention.

Sanctions --> no oil, making China very unhappy; or official condemnation from Arab states, making them very unhappy.

If it's not genocide, then Khartoum can carry on, business as usual.

[ermoore]

3. Once again the UN shows it's worthlessness.

And once again, no one calls them on it. (Or has someone?)

[Zhade]

4. What is this, fucking Rwanda all over again?

WTF?

[gottaB]

7. Rep. Lee disputes UN Sudan finding, urges action

Washington, D.C. – In response to a UN panel’s report that the Sudanese government and militia had committed war crimes in Darfur, but not genocide, Congresswoman Barbara Lee disputed the finding but emphasized the need to take action.

“We cannot allow this to become another Rwanda,” said Rep. Lee. “The critical thing is that we act quickly to stop the violence.”

Rep. Lee returned last Wednesday with a Congressional delegation from visiting refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border, and what she saw there reinforced her belief that genocide is taking place.

“The missing limbs, the eyes of the girls who had been raped, the accounts of coordinated attacks, everything we witnessed has strengthened my conviction that Congress was right to call this genocide, and the president was right to agree,” said Rep. Lee.

Rep. Lee disputes UN Sudan finding, urges action....

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link to full report (pdf): http://www.un.org/News/dh/sudan/com_inq_darfur.pdf

from bbc server: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/02_02_05drafur_report.pdf

PBS NewsHour discussion: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/jan-june05/sudan_2-02.html

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My initial sense of the report is that it't total bs. It casts doubt upon the genuineness of the government's claims that it is committing these acts in the process of conducting a counterinsurgency, and then it fails to find genocidal intent because it stipulates that the intent behind these acts is for the purposees of counterinsurgency. That's right there in the executive summary. It's absurd.