Darfur

I had no clue what the Darfur genocide was. I was curious about what it was, but I didn't do anything to learn about it. And even though we're in Darfur's sixth year of conflict I still hadn't known about it until I had to do this blog. And six years of conflict means six years of information I've missed. I've researched it and pieced together the information.

Darfur is a region of Sudan about the size of Texas. Two groups rebelling against the Sudanese government caused the creation of the Jangaweed. This militant who has taken up position against the innocent citizens of Darfur. 400,000 civilians have been killed. 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes. Many have been raped, abducted, and abused.

There are so many groups involved in this conflict; the Chinese Government, the Rwanda Government, the Militant, and the people who didn't resist. So which party is the worst?

The militant is a group called the Jangaweed. This group is organized, supported, and funded by the Sudanese government. The government hires people to be in this group. It works for the extermination of African tribes Darfur. They are the ones carrying out this genocide. They are the obvious answer to this question. However there is more to the answer. They are still my answer to the question, but there are other parties who all that much better.

The Chinese government is involved in this genocide, but its not as obvious. The Chinese government has forgiven Sudan of 1.2 billion dollars of debt, pledged to build a palace for the Sudanese President, and pledged to rehabilitate its railway system. The Chinese are very involved and have so much invested in Sudan. One of Sudan's major exports is oil and China is Sudan's biggest buyer. The money that Sudan gets from China is is used to purchase guns and weapons. These are used to kill the people in Darfur. So in a sense, China is funding or bankrolling the genocide in Darfur

(The Rwanda government has had a positive influence in Darfur rather than a negative one like the above two. The Rwanda government, having gone through a similar circumstance with the genocide of the Tutsi people empathize with Darfur and has sent many troops into Darfur to act as peacekeepers)

Then there are the people who saw what was happening, but didn't resist. This can be seen different ways. It doesn't seem like they would have anything to do with the conflict, but isn't it believed that someone witnesses a wrong doing they have the responsibility to do something about it and that when they don't it is considered an injustice? I can understand the take that these people are "in the wrong" because of what they didn't do. I think of the saying that questions what hurts more; an enemy doing something to hurt you or a friend seeing this and doing nothing to stand up for you. You expect your enemy to hurt you, but you don't expect your friend to be unloyal so when they forsake you it hurts even more it may not be a physical pain, but emotionally it hurts worse. In a sense, this is a similar situation. You can expect the militant to keep doing what they are doing, but when the people around you see what is happening, but do nothing about it and don't resist it hurts as well and they are in the wrong too.

However, I do not think that the people who did not resist are worse than the people who are doing the initial wrongdoing. The initial injustice (that done by the Jangaweed) is the worst. Therefore to answer the prompt I think that the militant is the worst.

"By studying these tragic lessons from history... it will raise [their] awareness and help [them] understand what can happen when you judge people by their race, their homeland or their beliefs."

—Illinois State Sen. Jacqueline Collins

Even just by educating ourselves about the subject is better than doing nothing.

Below is a link to a video and websites with so much more information on the topic. If you only have time to look at one, watch the video. It is from darfurscores.org, but it was produced by Genocide Intervention Network who encourages people who watch it to share it...so that's what I'm doing.

"Never Again: The Permanent Anti-Genocide Movement"
Bringing Attention To Darfur on Facebook
darfurscores.org
Sudan Tribune articles