Darfur
“I refuse to remain silent while the leaders of the world make excuses for failing to protect the people of Darfur. I am writing to voice my compassion for the victims and my anger at the leaders who are timorous, complacent, and unwilling to take risks. Remember: Silence helps the killer, never his victims.” -Professor Elie Wiesel In early 2003, the struggle for land and power in the western Sudanese region of Darfur erupted into violence between Sudanese government forces and rebel groups protesting the growth of the region's black African ethnic groups by the Muslim central government. Arab militias (Janjaweed) supported by the government soon began to pass policies of ethnic cleansing, including forced displacement, starvation, murder, torture and rape against Darfur's civilian population, leaving an estimated 400,00 people dead and more than 2 million ejected from their homes.
The Janjaweed militia group is a ruthless collection of mercenary fighters who share the same racial outlook as the Sudanese government. The government of Sudan cut a sinister deal. The administration promised land, livestock, and war booty to its Janjaweed allies. In return, the Janjaweed would attack villages belonging to the Non-Arab Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaliet tribes. The Janjaweed served one purpose: to create anarchy. The government could then lie and say that the atrocities were occurring because of historical tribal feuds. This same strategy has been used in the genocide of Rwanda and the genocide of Bosnia before. The Sudanese army and the Janjaweed are set out to destroy the livelihoods of Darfur’s Non-Arab peoples. To prevent people from returning, they poison the water supply by dumping dead bodies in the village wells.
“These attacks usually happened before dawn. Government aircraft commenced the assaults by dropping crude bombs on villages, killing men, women, and children as they slept in their beds. After dropping the bombs hundreds of Janjaweed fighters
The Janjaweed militia group is a ruthless collection of mercenary fighters who share the same racial outlook as the Sudanese government. The government of Sudan cut a sinister deal. The administration promised land, livestock, and war booty to its Janjaweed allies. In return, the Janjaweed would attack villages belonging to the Non-Arab Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaliet tribes. The Janjaweed served one purpose: to create anarchy. The government could then lie and say that the atrocities were occurring because of historical tribal feuds. This same strategy has been used in the genocide of Rwanda and the genocide of Bosnia before. The Sudanese army and the Janjaweed are set out to destroy the livelihoods of Darfur’s Non-Arab peoples. To prevent people from returning, they poison the water supply by dumping dead bodies in the village wells.
“These attacks usually happened before dawn. Government aircraft commenced the assaults by dropping crude bombs on villages, killing men, women, and children as they slept in their beds. After dropping the bombs hundreds of Janjaweed fighters