Danna Fo Fanna

Show me an unlabeled map of the continent of Africa, and I probably couldn’t point Sudan out to you. I do know that it borders Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya. And I do know that what is going on in the Darfur region of the country of Sudan right now is wrong.

Since the conflicts began in 2003 nearly 3 million people have been forced to flee Darfur. 400,000 people are dead. Aid workers from the UN have been forced to move the refugee camps 31 times in 5 years to avoid attacks from the Jamjaweed and Sudanese Army (who still denies any involvement in the massacres.)

The Jamjaweed is an Arabic nomadic group of people within that country who have been recruited by the government of Sudan to in a sense “empty” or “cleanse” the land that is Darfur. The majority of the population in this region (the nomadic Jamjaweed and the agricultural tribes) are all Sunni Muslims, therefore it can’t be a religious war. Is it more of a racial or cultural conflict?

I am still confused on the reason why all this is going on. Ethnic cleansing? It doesn’t quite seem that way. The Darfur region of Sudan just may be a region of potential oil wealth. But why kill people for that?

I truly believe that this gross conflict is something the US could put a stop to. Look at the empty and asinine situations our government has gotten us into lately… (Iraq … Afghanistan.) The UN however has proved many times that although they have the resources to help people, they don’t like getting their hands dirty.

As a member of the military I would much rather be sent somewhere to help people who genuinely want our help. Instead we’re pouring thousand of troops into lands where people we are told we’re “helping” are really just trying to kill us.

You could try to sell me the argument that if we went to Sudan those people would turn against us as well. You could tell me that the very people who would support us going into Sudan to provide relief would be the first calling for us to pull out.

Oh I have no doubt about the second part. The first part is also very likely.

However, when the Jewish people were being slaughtered by the millions at the hands of the Nazis we didn’t get involved until it was MUCH too late. I didn’t live in that time, I can’t say if the American people really knew what was going on or not.

How long must this go on in Darfur? Must it be considered genocide before we intervene? Do six million people have to be dead again before we’ll help?

One thing is for sure, no one will be able to say they didn’t know this time.

I’m not claiming to be an expert on this subject. I have only just become aware of it and only just begun to educate myself on the conflict in Africa, but I think others need to know as well. If there isn’t anything else I can do, I can help to educate others.