NYT: Relentless Attacks on Women in West Sudan Draw an Outcry

[DeepModem Mom]

Relentless Attacks on Women in West Sudan Draw an Outcry


Anthony Njuguna/Retuers
Women in a refugee camp in Darfur last month after fleeing their villages. Other women were victims of violence before and after leaving home.

By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Published: October 26, 2004


KEBKABIYA, Sudan - Even with the eyes of the world on this burned-out swath of western Sudan, threats of oil sanctions against the government and the trickle of African Union monitors into the countryside, one brutality has apparently continued undeterred: violence against Darfur's women.

Women were insulted, beaten and raped as their families were chased from their homes at the height of the war in this region. They continue to be insulted, beaten and raped as they try to eke out a living far from home in the miserable camps of the displaced across Darfur.

Judging from the accounts by victims themselves, as well as those of aid workers, human rights monitors and African Union military observers posted in Darfur, the victims are overwhelmingly women who belong to African communities here, and those who committed the acts are armed men who belong to Arab tribes.

Since early 2003, the war in Darfur has pitted the Arab-led government of Sudan against rebels who are led by members of African tribes.

Whether violence against women constitutes a war crime or whether it is part of a campaign of genocide remains unanswered. The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, has appointed a panel of experts to determine whether the violence in Darfur meets the international legal definition of genocide. If previous United Nations inquiries are any guide, this one is not likely to offer swift answers.

Definitions aside, the more pressing question for people here, not to mention the credibility of the international community, is this: Can anything be done to stop it and then bring a measure of redress?...


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/26/international/africa/26sudan.html?oref=login

[DuctapeFatwa]

1. the outcry seems distinctly muted

[VelmaD]

4. No surprise given the paucity of responses...

on this thread. If our fellow liberals don't care then I suppose no one does. *sigh*

[DuctapeFatwa]

15. There is a lot of money at stake in Sudan. Oil is big business

Outcries tend to increase in intensity in reverse proportion to profit potential.

[Scout]

2. kick n/t

[smirkymonkey]

3. Kick

:kick:

[LongTomH]

5. Kick again!

:kick:

[SemperEadem]

6. the dearth of responses is due to the fact

that most people in this country feel far removed from black African women being raped--they can't identify or relate, so why should they even bother to care? "It's over there in *that* country with *those* people, and besides, we shouldn't be the police for the whole world--they need to take care of their own problems and quit running to the U.S. everytime they stub their toes."

That is the prevailing ignorant non-christian mindset of many. It's a mindset which sickens me.

[KoKo]

8. No...it's because it's too terrible to comment on when we are powerless

to stop it. We have no control over our government here in America. If the Bushes stay in power, it will happen here. There are already incidences of female abuse and minority abuse increasing because of the Bush Administrations views of women.

Most of us can't deal with what's happening in Dufar... I didn't even want to hit on this post, to tell you the truth. I can't handle any more of all this and keep my sanity.

[SemperEadem]

9. we have enough power to go sniffing in Sudan for their oil

but not to bring pressure against the goverment to bring their military to heel for violence against the women and girls in the refugee camps of Darfur.

[KoKo]

13. But, we have no "humanity." The oil is ours for the taking. The more

that are brutalized in our quest for the oil..the easier it is for us to bring in a puppet government.

Other nations must get involved. With the Bushies in power there is no way we can get our government to intervene in this.

[KoKo]

7. They use the women the way Alfa Lions do the lionesses. It's to make

sure their "bloodline" prevails the way the Male Lions kill the cubs of the preceding Alfa Lion who impregnated the lioness.

It's a sign that the 21st century is reverting back to a primitive dark time where humans behave in a primal way.

And if the Bushies had their way, this would happen in America.

[SemperEadem]

10. my dear, rape is the weapon of choice there

it's not about creating lineages and scores of children.. we're talking about human beings, not animals, for christ's sake!

[KoKo]

11. you didn't understand my post. That this behavior is primitive and not

what humans have spent thousands of years trying to rise above. Now these women are being treated as if they are animals by those who have not risen above that level in humanity.

Perhaps I was too subtle.

[Psephos]

12. This should have a flaming icon next to it...help make it so

What the hell? Let's motivate, people. There IS a way to have an impact on these wretched Sudanese, and that's to raise the level of discussion, bring it to national attention. It starts here. Quit throwing in the towel!!!!!

I care about this story a hundred times more than the same old election crap. Boooosh voters are going to vote for him no matter what, but on this Sudan thing there is a real opportunity to raise awareness of a nightmare. That alone won't solve the problem, but without it, nothing will be done.

As I write this and as you read this some woman is literally getting beat up or worse. DO YOU NEED MORE THAN THAT TO MOTIVATE YOU???

[samtob]

14. Why the delay with the UN, and

will "sanctions" end this brutality?

Seems to me, the US is the only country calling it what it is, GENOCIDE.

Meanwhile, the UN has appointed "experts to determine whether the violence in Darfur meets the international legal definition of genocide"?

How many more thousands of people need to be slaughtered in order to pass the international legal definition?

If the US were to attempt to take some sort of action to stop these atrocities (I don't care which party is in the white house) there will be extreme outcry that we are policing the world. Yet the rest of the world via the UN will sit idle and watch the slaughter, not to mention the rape and violence specifically toward women. Sick.


***on a much lighter, silly, senseless note, as a woman I notice these things.... They have they most beautiful fabric I have ever seen***

Back to the outrage.

[DeepModem Mom]

16. Not silly, or senseless, samtob --

It's why I included the photo. Not only does the picture help us (especially women) relate to these women, but they are so very beautiful, in those extraordinary fabrics you couldn't help but notice --

[gottaB]

17. The most precious item

The most precious item.

I think it's actually called a "tobe" ("tobel" I suspect is a misprint), also spelled "toube."

It's also called a "toab" (http://www.careinternational.org.uk/cares_work/where/sudan/stories/story.php?id=132 ), which sounds like the Arabic way of saying it.

At one time the NIF government tried to discourage women from wearing the traditional tobe, to no avail.

[DeepModem Mom]

20. Thanks so much for that information, gottaB --

and for posting the article.

[Amigust]

18. UN: If we sit on our thumbs long enough, maybe the problem will just die

away.

[KoKo]

19. I cannot believe that Kofi Annan just sits by with this...or that other

UN Members allow this to go on. But then...I remember that I, and other DU'ers were e-mailing Kofi and the German and French Ambassadors to the UN at 2:00 a.m. in the morning just before Bush announced the Invasion of Iraq...begging them to STOP THE INVASION OF IRAQ! Not one of them every replied to us even with an "automated" reply.

And, Move On. org. delivered THOUSANDS of PETITIONS in BOXES to the UN and they still allowed Bush to Invade Iraq.

So...while I totally support the United Nations...I have to believe that "Diplomacy" and keeping the "Status Quo" is what they have to do.

Sort of like we Dems having to put up with Tom Daschle, even though we "Activist Dems" really can't stand the guy and think he's sold us "down the river" with Gore/Florida and the "Mid-term Elections" which we lost badly in...still there are overwhelming amounts of DU'ers who get angry with us on the far Left wondering why we dislike Daschle so much.

Maybe it's time for us "Far Lefters" to wonder why Kofi doesn't pay attention to the Sudan...

How can this go on...? Because "Womens Rights to Exist without Rape and Abuse" are in danger all over the world. When it get's down to who will survive in a Bush Alpha Male Culture...the "women" are the first to go.

I've not posted in "Female Activism" threads here on DU...but this has brought me out in total despair...for what will happen to all of us..with a Bush (anti-female control over our bodies agenda) where he will "stack" the Supreme Court with his "buddies" in the Armageddon Group of the Fundie Churches to the "CEO Mentality prevalent today, that folks out there in "average America" are stupid and to be used and manipulated. In that scenario..the women are first to go...then the Men and then the Children..

:-(