Suddenly Sudan

Halfway from our side of the world, unknown to many who enjoy a good life, who lives in free societies, whose countries are secured, and whose lives are safe, is a crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and still counting. Sudan is unheard to many, but the voices of its people from the Darfur region is louder than the noise of ammunitions elsewhere, screaming, pleading, begging to be spared from baseless, unreasonable killings. The crisis in Darfur, called by many as genocide but just a civil war for others, began in 2003 when a rebel group attacked government targets saying the region is being neglected by Kharoum, the capital, by favoring the Arabs and oppressing the Black Africans. In response to the conflict going on between the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), the government mobilized a self-defense militia, but has denied that it has links to the Janjaweed who people of Darfur accused of waging an ethnic cleansing against the Africans. Affected civilians from Darfur said that following air raids by government aircraft, the Janjaweed rebels stormed into villages on camels and horses, slaughtering men, raping women, hurting children, and taking whatever they can find.

Only after millions have left and were homeless and hundreds of thousands have died that the international community acted on the crisis. Due to international pressure, the government vowed to crash the Janjaweed and put into justice all those who have caused the heinous killings. But little was achieved, if none at all. The African Union had sent in troops but admitted that they cannot sustain the cost of the operation. The UN, US, EU, and other powerful western countries acted by threatening the government of sanctions and by sending humanitarian groups and organizations to provide aid to the affected civilians. Other African countries have condemned the international community for not acting expediently to the crisis, saying that an earlier response would have prevented much atrocities and would have saved lives. There is also a dispute among concerned parties on whether the crisis is a genocide or just a simple tribal war. It being a genocide or a tribal war will make a difference. It being a tribal war, the international community would have less guilt since tribal wars are purely internal, sovereign conflicts. Whereas if it is a genocide, the international community can be held accountable for acting late.

Right now the crisis is far from over, peace agreements are being negotiated, but no real solution seems to be coming up soon. Ceasefire will only serve for a year or two. The real deal has not yet been addressed.