Post on 15-Jul-2015
Genocide: Crisis in
Darfur
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter.”-Martin Luther King Jr.
Together we stand. Divided
we fall.
On December 9th, 1948, at the National Genocide
Convention, The United Nations promised “never
again” about the horrors of Genocide.
Yet every month over 15,000
people are killed in Darfur,
Sudan
What happened to that
promise?
What is Genocide?
The term “genocide” was derived from the Greek word for race or tribe, “geno,” and the Latin term for killing, “cide,” literally meaning the killing of a specific people. The murder of
an entire ethnic group.
One of the most well-known
genocides was the Holocaust.
Over 6 million Jews were
slaughtered, as well as Poles,
Homosexuals, Afro-Europeans,
Gypsies, the Disabled. However,
atrocities like the Holocaust still
occur today, mainly unnoticed.
Genocides and Mass
Murders
in the 20th CenturyCongo Free State- (Estimated 3- 30 million)
Armenian- (1.5-2 million)
Bosnia- (200,000+)
Cambodia- (1.7- 3 million)
Darfur- (ongoing)
East Timor- (300,000)
Guatemala
India
The Holocaust- (6 million)
Namibia
Rwanda- (500,000- 3 million)
The Serbian genocide
The Ukraine
•Darfur is located in Sudan, a large country, south of Egypt, on the eastern side of Africa.
•Darfur is a region on the west side of Sudan, on the border Chad.
•Population of Sudan: 38 million
•Population of Darfur: 6 million
•Life Expectancy: 58 years
•Nearly 400,000 people have died, about 7% of the population• That’s equal to 60% percent of the population of North Dakota, 75% of the population of Wyoming•2.7 million people are internally displaced, Half of them children• About 120,000 refugees have crossed the border into Chad, a neighboring country
WHERE IS
DARFUR?
This is not a matter of
African starving because of
climate or poor crops
This is genocide because a
government is literally
attacking a group of people
with the intent of wiping
them out.
And, they were poor and
starving to begin with…
Since 2003, in order to consolidate its power, the Sudanese government has been fighting various rebel groups based in Darfur, especially the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA). The government responded by hiring groups of Arab bandits and training them. They were called the “Janjaweed”
which means “Devil on horseback.” The government gave them free reign to get rid of the SLA by any means necessary.
•Rape (Gang and Public)
Violent Beatings
Murder
Abduction
Stealing cattle, personal
possesions, food, clothing
Destroying homes and towns
Burning homes and towns
Destroying water sources
Separating families, shooting
children, Close-range
executions…any means necessary
The means included:
Another tactic commonly used by the Janjaweed
was trickery. They would call out to people
claiming that they would do them no harm.
“We were afraid and wanted to run away,” he said, “but they said:
„No, no. We don‟t want to hurt you. We are the government. Don‟t be
afraid. We are coming to save you.‟”
Celebrities, and Their steps to
help Darfur
George Clooney and father Nick Clooney- UN Peace Envoy, and Activist journalist
Mia Farrow- Activist, Unicef ambassador, currently on a 21-day hunger strike to bring attention to Darfur
Elie Wiesel- Speaker on Genocide and advocate for Darfur
Don Cheadle- Co-Author of the book Not on Our Watch
Steven Spielburg- Resigned as artistic adviser in 2008 Olympics in Response to China’s failure in helping Darfur
Angelina Jolie- Ambassador for the UN refugee agency
Matt Damon- Main supporter for “Day for Darfur”
Brad Pitt- Ambassador for the UN refugee agency
However, Things may be turning
around. Just recently the ICC
(International Criminal Court),
brought forth charges on the
president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir
for crimes against Humanity.
If this man is persecuted, the lives of
millions will change and this conflict
could end.
Although the conflict would end, 2.7 million people will still have relocated, away from their homes, their families,
their friends, and neighbors. They will still have been forced to start new lives, with
little more than the clothes on their backs…
400,000People would still
have died