The insider's guide to Darfur

[Rhiannon12866]

POSTED: 6:19 a.m. EDT, September 22, 2006

(CNN) U.N. Security Council members are due to meet Friday to discuss bolstering the peacekeeping effort in Darfur, after the African Union announced it would leave its 7,000 troops in the region until at least the end of the year. Here's all you need to know about the crisis in western Sudan.

How did the conflict start?

Since early 2003, Sudanese government forces and ethnic militia called "Janjaweed" have been engaged in an armed conflict with rebel groups called the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). As part of its operations against the rebels, government and militia forces have been accused of waging a systematic campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the civilian population who are members of the same ethnic groups as the rebels. The rebels say the government is oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs. The groups opposed to a May peace deal, signed by the SLA/SLM with the government, have now merged into the National Redemption Front led by former Darfur governor Ahmed Diraige.

So this is a fairly new problem?

Not really, more an escalation of long-standing tensions in the region. There are long-standing disagreements in Darfur -- literally, home of the "Fur" in Arabic -- over land and grazing rights between the mostly nomadic Arabs, and farmers from the Fur, Massaleet and Zagawa communities. Nor is civil war anything new in Sudan, where a separate regional conflict in the south of the country raged on and off for 50 years prior to a peace deal in January 2005.

What is the government doing?

The government in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, admits mobilizing "self-defense militias" to counter rebel attacks but denies any links to the Janjaweed, who President Omar al-Bashir has called "thieves and gangsters." Refugees from Darfur say that following air raids by government aircraft, the Janjaweed ride into villages on horses and camels, slaughtering men, raping women and stealing whatever they can find. Many women report being abducted by the Janjaweed and held as sex slaves. After strong international pressure and the threat of sanctions, the government promised to disarm the militiamen. But so far there is little evidence this has happened.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/09/22/insider.darfur/index.html

[pampango]

1. Can anything be done?

The UN is hamstrung. The Sudanese government wisely exports a lot of oil to China which, in turn, protects them in the Security Council against any UN forceful involvement in the Darfur crisis. The US is not likely to be able to lead the Security Council in this direction, even if it wanted to, because Bush has not credibility. Even if a way is found around this, through the leadership of another country on the Security Council, who is anxious to send troops to a Muslim country against the wishes of the government there. You could try to enhance the capabilities of the African Union troop now there, but that is a force of black Africans trying to protect black Muslims from attacks by Arab Muslims.

Obviously, if the US intervened unilaterally (not very likely to happen), most of us would say that it is all about oil. If we don't intervene, it is because we don't care about Africans as much as we did about Kosovars or Bosnian Muslims.

Since I don't see the UN being able to do anything but talk and issue declaration and reach agreements with the Sudanese government that are never enforced, would it be possible for a group of Arab countries or an Arab organization take the lead in solving this crisis. They would have more credibility with the Sudanese government, which is Arab, than would the UN or the West in general, and would have an interest in protecting the black Africans who are being attacked, since they are Muslims?

Or will we be apologizing in the future for not stopping another genocide in Africa?

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Excellent points. But I also believe that the MSM is to blame,

since news of this terrible crisis, probably the most serious in our world today, rarely makes it to the front page or is even mentioned on the nightly newscasts.:-(

The solution to this is very tough, and complicated, as you say. And you're sure right about the reasons for the reluctance of other nations to sign on and become involved with this. It would certainly go a long way if Arab governments would take leadership on this, but they are involved in their own problems, these days. And you're also right, that Bush* has absolutely lost his credibility in the world community, which further complicates matters. This administration has ignored this genocide for far too long, just as they have sat on their hands for five years when they should have been continuing to broker peace in the escalating crisis between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The recent crisis in Lebanon was the result.:-(

George Clooney has done a good thing, IMHO, by using his status to bring world attention to the Sudan. This is one time that I applaud this kind of celebrity involvement.:-)

And I have no doubt that this will be another black mark in our history, which is the reason that we have to start paying attention on what's happening here. We can't let this happen again.;(

Welcome to DU, pampango, and thanks for your informed and thoughtful post...:-) It's great to have you with us!:toast:

Rhiannon:hi:

[Cooley Hurd]

4. tragedy overload...

:cry:

[Rhiannon12866]

5. I agree. This is as bad as it gets, which is the reason I posted this.

Somebody has got to start paying attention to this terrible crisis. The US should take the lead in this, but we can't do it alone. And, thanks to Bush*, we've lost our credibility in the world. We're going to have a real problem getting anyone else to sign on with this. But it can no longer be ignored...;(

[Cooley Hurd]

3. K&R.

[maddezmom]

6. and another

:kick:

[Rhiannon12866]

7. Thanks so much! :-)

This thread needs all the help it can get...:-(