The root of the conflict that led to genocide in Darfur stems from a conglomerate of problems which involve social, economic and especially ethnic and tribal issues. Most of the blame has been directed towards British colonial policies, and as some would assume that the causation of war would be centered on religious persecution, this simply isn't the case. During the British rule in the latter part of the 19th century, a perpetuating cycle of neglect in the vast southern region of Sudan was quite evident. As they saw fit that it suited their colonial needs, the British deliberately restricted education in the whole region down to one school. With the said purpose to only educate the sons of the chiefs, as they were being conditioned to …show more content…
He states, “Political power both in colonial and post-colonial times has emanated from Khartoum and Khartoum tended to overlook its westernmost border.”(Reyes.1299) Reyes goes on to describe how the British made emphasis on land tenure. Prior to colonial intervention the sultan or Muslim leader would be in charge of allocating land to its followers. As the British stepped in they no longer saw fit to appoint land to individuals but instead allotted the territory to specific ethnic groups, sheer discrimination. Further investigation into Reyes article he expounds even more thoroughly the inequality that was being presented, he states “Tribal groups granted land were said to have dars…Fur and Masalit benefited from such allocations, which formed a basis for their prominence in Darfur in the postcolonial period. Northern Darfurians tended to lack dars.” (Reyes. …show more content…
As time progressed and several brawls with its neighboring country, Chad, ethnic cleansing by the Arab rulers in Khartoum had come into effect and eventually became national policy. Famine was used as a tactic to control and dislocate members from Sudan, especially regarding three key tribes (the Zaghawa, Fur and Masalit). Those that refused to leave the area underwent brutal persecution. From rape and torture to their land and crops being scorched and destroyed. Similarly to the Western ideology of racial supremacy, the Arabs of Sudan (preached from Libya and the Sudanese capital) practiced this method on non-Arabs (Africans) during the 1980s through the 1990s, closing in with the conflict that began in 2003. This was their justification for the ethnic cleansing of their incompetent (from their standpoint) black African Muslim brothers.
As conflict erupted in February 2003, JEM (Justice and Equality Movement), SLA (Sudan Liberation Army), and other rebel groups began to form in response to the government’s support of Janjaweed, an Arab militia. The Janjaweed which were made up mostly of the Masalit tribe served as the forerunner of this racial ideology and continues to be used by the Khartoum. In an Australian review their claims for this uprising stated “The motivation for the initial
The Darfur case however, revealed that both of these strategies are not effective. Responding to the genocide in Darfur, the US officials declared the label genocide to be occurring. Thereafter, a politically civil-society coalition emerged so as to lobby the administration. The net outcome of these two scenarios however was the same in the absence of effective policies that could halt the genocide. The Rwandan genocide has always acted as the point of reference for similar genocides taking place around the world. Since the 2003 crisis in Darfur, a lot of comparisons have been made to Rwandan genocide. Observers have likened the Darfur genocide to what happened in Rwanda and of course giving it two connotations. First, the violence in the western parts of Sudan has been referred to another Rwanda, by basing their arguments on the nature of the violence. Since whatever was happening in Darfur is similar t...
Many still believe that all the hard times are behind them. Those people believe that since they aren’t the ones having to face those harsh times. However, evil still exists till this day, like the Genocide in Darfur. The subject about Darfur has always been a delicate one to many. However, there are still many in this society that still don’t even have the slightest clue about what is happening over in Sudan. There have been many genocides in the past, and the most well known is the Holocaust, but it’s sad to think that it still goes on till this day. Furthermore, there are still many that haven’t done much about it. Society needs to find out about what is happening in Darfur and awareness needs to be raised as well.
As seen from “Armed & Underage” by Jeffrey Gettleman, “...200,000 children worldwide are still being used as combatants, usually against their will. And it isn't just boys: Girls are often pressed into duty as cooks or messengers. Many are subjected to sexual abuse, including rape.” As revealed, the children involved in this injustice, are ordinarily being forced to be mistreated. This supports the claim that when groups come together they can help those involved, as with the help of public backlash on this issue, they can help the children involved get out of these situations. Accordingly from “The Charge: Genocide” By Lydia Polgreen, “...Sudan's President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, could face arrest on charges of genocide—the systematic destruction of a racial or cultural group—as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur: In July, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (I.C.C.), based in The Hague, the Netherlands, formally requested an arrest warrant for Bashir.” As conveyed, a prosecutor from the I.C.C has requested an arrest warrant for Bashir, consequently he committed against humanity. This aids in supporting the claim that when groups come together they can help those involved seeing that the I.C.C has come together to go against the injustices committed by Bashir, which would help stop the injustices to help the many people involved in these atrocities. Likewise from Polgreen´s text, “The I.C.C. prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo of Argentina, charges that Bashir has "masterminded and implemented" a plan to destroy the people of Darfur. "´Al-Bashir organized the destitution, insecurity, and harassment of the survivors," he contends. "He did not need bullets. He used other weapons: rapes, hunger, and fear.´" As exhibited, Luis Moreno-Ocampo from the I.C.C has stood up in order to stop the injustices that Bashir has committed against the people of Darfur.
Simmons, Melinda and Amanda Price. “British Imperialism of Egypt.” British Imperialism of Egypt and the Sudan. 4 March 1998. 29 January 2010. .
In 1983 the Second Sudanese Civil War took place; Arabic Muslims from the North of Sudan attacked southern villages killing more than one million civilians and leaving more than twenty thousand of boys orphaned− often referred to as the Lost Boys of Sudan−. Afraid of meeting the same fate as their families, these boys set out on a difficult journey through Africa seeking refuge.
The biggest war the world has ever seen was World War II. What was one factor that led to such a quick escalation? Genocide. Over 45 million people were murdered during this tragic time. The question is: was it the allies responsibility to intervene? The answer: No. The Global Community has no responsibility to intervene in states committing genocide.
As of March of 2008, a total of 300,000 people have died in Darfur, Sudan due to genocide. That is equivalent to the entire population of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Genocide started back in February of 2003 in Darfur, Sudan. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights defines the liberties set for everyone in the World. Established in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights displays the rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled to. The situation in Darfur, Sudan is known as Genocide, Genocide is defined as a systematic extermination or attempt at exterminating a national, political, racial or cultural group. The Darfur Genocide has violated Article #3, Article #5 and Article #9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Darfur Genocide violates article #3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article #5 has been violated by the Genocide in Darfur. Article #9 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been violated by the Darfur Genocide. Attacks in Darfur are mostly by a group called the Janjaweed which are an Arab based group supported by the Sudanese Government, to carry out attacks on people with different religious, economic and political views. The Darfur Genocide violates the rights of its citizens; steps should be enforced by United Nations and it allies.
In 1898, Britain and Egypt took control over Sudan. This didn’t include Darfur, which was an independent territory ruled by a sultan. In 1916, Britain added Darfur to the territory it controlled. After World War II, in 1945, Britain and Egypt began preparing Sudan for independence. From 1945-1989, Darfur -remote from Khartoum and having invaluable resources- suffered neglect from all governments. Sudan has been independence since 1956. However, the journey that led to Sudan’s genocide in Darfur began in the late 1800s. It’s a complicated tale that involves conquest; internal politics; social, ethnical, racial, and re...
It is due this circumstance that the fight in Darfur, which originated from conflict over land, water and additional capitals amongst black farmers and Arab nomads, has transformed into a gory tragedy. The Darfur crisis has exposed the racial issues in Sudan which had been ready to burst into flames for a long period time. What makes it a racial conflict is that the Muslim Arab Janjaweed militia, are attacking black African Muslims. Both sides share the same Muslim beliefs but cannot live in harmony. If the southerners are not awarded the same rights as the northerners, they will continue to fight.
Darfur is located in Northeastern Africa. The genocide started in 1956, when war broke out, the genocide continued till July 2011, because South Sudan became their own country. The government had attacks on Darfur and Air Force bombings. There was mass of slaughtering and rape of men, women, and children. The tribe and citizens are targeted because the government got over thrown by a military and then the government forces bombed civilizes to facilitate exploitation. (Darfur Genocide, World Without Genocide)The government wanted Darfur to be used for oil exploration, but the citizens didn’t want to leave Darfur because that’s where they live and produce resources. Also the weather in Darfur was good for the people be...
Background: Darfur is Islamic Sultanate located in the Western Region of Sudan; which is often referred to as the Horn of Africa. It’s reported to be covering one fifth of the country, and has a populous between four and six million. Darfur’s geographic make up is composed of traditional Muslim Arabs located in the Northern portion of Darfur, with the southern portion consisting of “white Arabs” and Furs (People of Darfur or peasant farmers). Darfur is bordered by Libya in the North, with Chad to the west, and the Central African Republic in the south west Kordofar and the Bahr El-Gazal region borders the eastern and southern parts of Darfur. In essence Fur is the major ethnic group, hence the name Darfur. (DAR equals Abode, DAFUR meaning the abode of Fur. The rest of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic herders. Most of the farmers live close to a subsistence level. Meaning they have the minimal requirements to meet physical needs such as food, shelter, clothing and medical care in the event of an emergency. “The Fur, largely peasant farmers, occupy the central belt of the region, including the Jebel Marra massif.” There is also the non-Arab Masalit, Berti, Bargu, Bergid, Tama and Tunjur people who are sedentary farmers-farmers which usually remain in the same location. In the northernmost zone is Dar Zaghawa, part of the Libyan Sahara, and some “camel nomads” primarily Bedeyat and Zaghawa who are non-Arab in origin, and the...
The atrocities in Darfur are being conducted by an assembly of government funded and heavily armed militants who are known as the Janjaweed. These groups of Arab radicals destroy the people of Darfur by pillaging and burning their villages, robbing them of their economic assets, contaminating their water supplies by dumping dead bodies into the wells, slaughtering, raping, and tormenting them. The attacks on the villages range from a variety of approaches but the most typical start with bombings from the Sudanese Air Force, followed by the raids of the Janjaweed. A recent estimate by UNICEF has the death toll in Darfur at an astonishing 300,000. Out of the total population of 6.2 million people, 4.7 million are affected by the conflict. Half of the directly affected people are children; of these children, almost 700,000 have lived their entire life knowing nothing more than the violent lifestyle that has overtaken the region (Sudan: Darfur Overview).
In 1956 Sudan gained independence from the ruling of Britain, since the two civil wars have been experienced. The Addis Ababa peace agreement was signed by General Nimeiri due to the Anyanya war which was fought till 1972. The peace agreement signed was that the South has autonomy, however this came to a halt when North Sudan imposed the Islamic values onto an already diverse land, which led to the South Sudan to retaliation . Colonel John Garang of Sudan’s’ army established the SPLA/M (Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement) in 1980. Salva Kiir was part of the SLPA and later became Garangs’ chief of staff. In 2005, Sudan’s president Al-Bashir appointed John Garang to be the first vice president of Sudan, he therefore became the first Christian southerner to be in a high place of authority. Garang supported peace talks between north and south so to become one country but Kiir was for independence. In 2005 Kiir took leadership of SPLM after the death of Colonel John Garang and then became the vice president of Sudan . Kiir saw this as an opportunity to bring about an end to the suffering and discrimination endured the southerners since 1953 .
Kofi Annan’s life experiences that influenced him to work for the UN started when he went to a Methodist Boarding school, he was taught that "suffering anywhere concerns people everywhere." He then went on to study at four different colleges and got a masters degree in International Relations. He got a job with the UN as a budget official, and slowly worked his way up. For 9 years, he was an assistant Secretary General for 3 different organizations. While doing so, the Rwandan Genocide took place, and Annan was highly criticized for the way he handled it. He took responsibility for his actions. This lead to him finally being voted in to be the new Secretary-General, where he stayed for 10 years.
The rise of this conflict can be traced back to European colonialism. As the British Empire continued to expand it incorporated Sudan into it’s empire in the 1890s. However at the time, Sudan was not the Sudan that is knew pre-2011. There were two a North and a South Sudan. The north was predominatingly a Arabic speaking Muslim North, and the south an English speaking Christian South. To prevent Egypt claiming North Sudan, the British combined the two regions into one. It can be classified as this being the start of the conflict. The two regions, were culturally,religiously, and ethnically different. Tensions were bound to rise based on these issues. When the British colonialism ended and Sudan declared independence in 1956, the borders were not altered. The country was still united into one Sudan. The British like most Colonial powers left the nation with an unstable government structure. The British supported the North more than it did the South, thus creating resentment and tensions between the two after the end of colonialism.