Rape, torture, and one million forced to flee as Sudan's crisis unfolds. W

[JoFerret]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=514324

Rape, torture, and one million forced to flee as Sudan's crisis unfolds. Will we move to stop it?
By Declan Walsh Africa Correspondent
23 April 2004


The first sign is the ominous drone of a plane. Ageing Russian Antonovs sweep over the remote Sudanese village, dispatching their deadly payload of crude barrel bombs. They explode among the straw-roofed huts, sending terrified families scurrying for safety - but there is none.

Next comes the Janjaweed, a fearsome Arab militia mounted on camels and horses, and armed with AK-47 rifles and whips. They murder the men and boys of fighting age, gang-rape the women - sometimes in front of their families - and burn the houses. The villagers' cattle are stolen, their modest possessions carted off.

Survivors dash for the border with neighbouring Chad, where hordes of Sudanese refugees are clinging to life in an inhospitable desert area, threatened by disease epidemics, looming famine and still more attacks.

This is where some of the world's worst human rights abuses are occurring and nothing is being done to stop it. This is ethnic cleansing Sudanese-style. A government-sponsored campaign, led by Arab tribesmen against their black African neighbours, has triggered the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time and - with the world's eyes fixed on Iraq - its most forgotten calamity.

<more, much more>

[Joanne98]

1. We need three big bonfires

One for the Torah one for the Bible and one for the Koran. They're probably killing them because they're Christians. And where is Pat Robertson when you need him? He could at least go to the UN and try to help. But he won't because they don't have any diamond mines. I'm getting sick of this. Religious wars are hopeless. No reasonable people to deal with.

[shrike]

3. 'Fraid that won't help

Africa, and other continents, have experienced tribal conflicts for centuries. Humans have an almost unlimited capacity for hate. If religion were gone tomorrow we'd focus on ethnic differences and greed.

[JoFerret]

6. But quenching the flames of religion sure would help

Don't buy into the view that there is no point/ it's all hopeless/ genearations/ centures etc. They said that about Yugolslavia. intervention can help.

[loudsue]

7. That's a GREAT idea --- even if this is a racial war!

I think those books should be confined to libraries. All the rest of them burned. It may be the only way to save the world at this point.

I heard on NPR today how the Catholic church is still trying to dictate to our Catholic politicians how they can feel about abortion.

:argh:

And these folks are getting "tax free" status? That needs to STOP, NOW!!

It makes me feel bad for the little neighborhood churches that stick to teaching a spiritual path -- and stay out of politics: The ones that are actually trying to help people without holding their beliefs hostage to that help. Those churches SHOULD have tax-free status. But for the most part, here, some places in Europe, Israel, and in Muslim countries, churches are running government, and trying to RULE by religion. We, as humans, should be too old for that kind of nonsense.

:kick:

[AngryAmish]

17. My fellow progressive, lets start the book burning

Ya know, we will truly be a free and tolerant society once the right books get burned. And I get to decide which books get burned.

[gottaB]

11. Will that be an ultimate solution?

a. Pat Robertson actually has had Sudan on his radar for many years:

http://www.anti-slavery.org/misc/hentoff.htm

You may be suspicious of Robertson's motives. I am. And you may wonder, as I do, what effect his efforts have had, and whether it's all been for the good. The abolitionist movement, though, took help where it could, and by and large has not bought into the anti-Islam Crusade that Robertson and company seem bent on promoting.

b. Many of the people being killed in Darfur are Muslims. They are being targetted because of their race or ethnic identity. "You get this because you are black," as was quoted in the Independent story.


More about Black Muslim victims of ethnic cleansing:

http://www.iabolish.com/act/camp/darfur/DarfurRaidVictims.htm

Obviously religion has been an important aspect of the conflict, and if not for the religious conflict, quite possibly these militias wouldn't exist and peace would have been achieved. But who knows for sure?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. This is more an ethnic war than a religious war

Some of the black Africans who are the target of this slaughter are Christian, but others practice indigenous religions.

[nosmokes]

8. this is a good primer

http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=159&language_id=1

[MikeG]

4. Gee, why aren't we invading the Sudan?

[0007]

19. That's a good question!

[rfkrocks]

5. Evil just Evil

Thanks for the post-more suffering humanity that is not important because of Iraq-where is the administrations' moral outrage-where is France,Britain, Germany, Italy or Spain? Where are the Arab countries? what is the point of the UN except to watch genocide? Rwanda part 2 and the world slept while innocents died-sometimes it is just a plain disgrace to be human

[BayCityProgressive]

9. I am all for "nation bulding" or aide in

nations like these. Hopefully a Kerry presidency will be like Clinton's. One of international help not empire.

[rfkrocks]

10. Amen my friend!

[walmartsucks]

12. Where is the U.N.?

Is it truly irrelevant? Sure, they'll issue a statement condemning these events, but isn't this the type of situation for which the U.N. was established? If not for this type of situation, then what is the point of even having a U.N.?

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Believe it or not, the US government is doing the right thing here

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=514689

Sudan escaped condemnation by the United Nations over allegations of ethnic cleansing yesterday after European nations agreed to water down their criticism of the Khartoum government.

The US delegation was so outraged by the outcome, in the final hour of the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission, that it demanded an emergency session to hold Sudan to account. "We must stand up and be strong, condemning unconscionable acts," said Richard Williamson, the US ambassador, after the commission voted 50-1, with two abstentions, to express concern about the situation in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

But, after hours of negotiations between European and African states, the statement that was adopted stopped short of a formal condemnation of Sudan. "The commission has failed to meet its responsibilities today," Mr Williamson said, after casting the single vote against the motion.

According to a UN report leaked to The Independent, which was not considered by the commission because of delaying tactics by Khartoum, Sudanese forces have been conducting a scorched earth policy against civilians in what may amount to "crimes against humanity".

[walmartsucks]

15. I didn't realize i was a prophet!

"We must stand up and be strong, condemning unconscionable acts," said Richard Williamson, the US ambassador, after the commission voted 50-1, with two abstentions, to express concern about the situation in the Darfur region of western Sudan."

"...the statement that was adopted stopped short of a formal condemnation of Sudan."

Okay, maybe I'm not. I predicted the U.N. would pass a resolution condemning Sudan and do nothing else. Apparently they can't even do that. What a worthless bunch of bureaucrats!

[AngryAmish]

18. Did you see Dave Chappelle's "Black Bush" segment?

The UN has no army. The UN can't do a thing unless the member nations want it to do something. Since the UN member nations obviously does not care about this genocide, then nothing will be done about it.

I am sure in a couple of years when the slaughter is over the world will offer its most sincerely apology, but those folks will still be dead.

Nobody cares.

[fishnfla]

14. This can be stopped

but by the time the UN gets its act together, it'll be too late for this generation.

Question; was there not some talk of Osama bin Laden moving to Sudan, hiding there? That would surely interest the US administration.

[Toots]

16. I'm sure they have WMDs there somewhere

Let's insist that they do and that our government do something. If they mean everything they say about making life better for the Iraqis as the only reason we invaded then we need to get into Sudan immediately. I know they have WMDs so let's get in there now. Come on Bush* show us your stuff. Do the right thing and really help some people.