Sudan: Darfur Destroyed

Category: Africa, World Affairs Topics: Conflicts And War, Darfur, Human Rights, Sudan Views: 9129
9129

    The government of Sudan is responsible for "ethnic cleansing" and crimes against humanity in Darfur, one of the world's poorest and most inaccessible regions, on Sudan's western border with Chad. The Sudanese government and the Arab "Janjaweed" militias it arms and supports have committed numerous attacks on the civilian populations of the African Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa ethnic groups. Government forces oversaw and directly participated in massacres, summary executions of civilians-including women and children-burnings of towns and villages, and the forcible depopulation of wide swathes of land long inhabited by the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. The Janjaweed militias have destroyed mosques, killed Muslim religious leaders, and desecrated Qorans belonging to their enemies.

The government and its Janjaweed allies have killed thousands of Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa-often in cold blood-raped women, and destroyed villages, food stocks and other supplies essential to the civilian population. They have driven more than one million civilians, mostly farmers, into camps and settlements in Darfur where they live on the very edge of survival, hostage to Janjaweed abuses. More than 110,000 others have fled to neighboring Chad but the vast majority of war victims remain trapped in Darfur.

This conflict has historical roots but escalated in February 2003, when two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) drawn from members of the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa ethnic groups, demanded an end to chronic economic marginalization and sought power-sharing within the Arab-ruled Sudanese state. They also sought government action to end the abuses of their rivals, Arab pastoralists who were driven onto African farmlands by drought and desertification-and who had a nomadic tradition of armed militias.

The government has responded to this armed and political threat by targeting the civilian populations from which the rebels were drawn. It brazenly engaged in ethnic manipulation by organizing a military and political partnership with some Arab nomads comprising the Janjaweed; armed, trained, and organized them; and provided effective impunity for all crimes committed.

The government-Janjaweed partnership is characterized by joint attacks on civilians rather than on the rebel forces. These attacks are carried out by members of the Sudanese military and by Janjaweed wearing uniforms that are virtually indistinguishable from those of the army.

Although Janjaweed always outnumber regular soldiers, during attacks the government forces usually arrive first and leave last. In the words of one displaced villager, "They [the soldiers] see everything" that the Janjaweed are doing. "They come with them, they fight with them and they leave with them."

The government-Janjaweed attacks are frequently supported by the Sudanese air force. Many assaults have decimated small farming communities, with death tolls sometimes approaching one hundred people. Most are unrecorded.

Human Rights Watch spent twenty-five days in and on the edges of West Darfur, documenting abuses in rural areas that were previously well-populated with Masalit and Fur farmers. Since August 2003, wide swathes of their homelands, among the most fertile in the region, have been burned and depopulated. With rare exceptions, the countryside is now emptied of its original Masalit and Fur inhabitants. Everything that can sustain and succor life-livestock, food stores, wells and pumps, blankets and clothing-has been looted or destroyed. Villages have been torched not randomly, but systematically-often not once, but twice.

The uncontrolled presence of Janjaweed in the burned countryside, and in burned and abandoned villages, has driven civilians into camps and settlements outside the larger towns, where the Janjaweed kill, rape, and pillage-even stealing emergency relief items-with impunity.

Despite international calls for investigations into allegations of gross human rights abuses, the government has responded by denying any abuses while attempting to manipulate and stem information leaks. It has limited reports from Darfur in the national press, restricted international media access, and has tried to obstruct the flow of refugees into Chad. Only after significant delays and international pressure, were two high-level UN assessment teams permitted to enter Darfur. The government has promised unhindered humanitarian access, but has failed to deliver. Instead, recent reports of government tampering with mass graves and other evidence suggest the government is fully aware of the immensity of its crimes and is now attempting to cover up any record.

The United States Agency for International Development has warned that unless the Sudanese government breaks with past practice and grants full and immediate humanitarian access, at least 100,000 war-affected civilians could die in Darfur from lack of food and from disease within the next twelve months.

The international community, which so far has been slow to exert all possible pressure on the Sudanese government to reverse the ethnic cleansing and end the associated crimes against humanity it has carried out, must act now. The UN Security Council, in particular, should take urgent measures to ensure the protection of civilians, provide for the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian assistance and reverse ethnic cleansing in Darfur. It will soon be too late.

Source: www.hrw.org


  Category: Africa, World Affairs
  Topics: Conflicts And War, Darfur, Human Rights, Sudan
Views: 9129

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Older Comments:
MUHAMMAD ASIF KALEEM FROM USA said:
i am so ashamed to learn about the genocide in Darfur. Even more shameful is the fact that in the last few months, muslim leaders, politicians and imams have not educated the common muslims about this grave problem. Again we are learning it from the western sources. Presence of an islamic government in Sudan does not mean that we have to support them in every thing. We need to stand and speak up against this injustice. I need to learn more about this. Why is this sorry silence from our leaders. Shame on us.
2006-05-09

CHRIS BATT FROM UNITED KINGDOM said:
what hope have the weak and poor have of protecting themselves and their families, when they are up against the capitalist monsters of the western world ? I am a white british male, but i have no alligence to my government, they mislead us, lie and cover the truth, not much has changed since the dark ages..........
2004-08-10

BROTHER ISLAM FROM OAKLAND(GHETTO) BILAD AS JAHALIYAH said:
They lied on Iraq and now "their" lying on Sudan.Don't believe the hype!!!!!

Now that the truth is out(Fahrenheit 911)everyone can easily see that the u.s.government's "sole aim and purpose" was to control one of the world's largest oil reserves.Many Muslims supported the "regime change" and ousting Sadam Hussein what they did'nt expect was that tens of thousands(and swiftly counting)of innocent Iraqis would be murdered,viciously raped,video tapped while being SODOMIZED,destroyed MASJIDS/homes,
even women in the u.s army have been sexually assaulted and filed complaints to their
"authorities".

SUDANESE DIPLOMAT WINS SIGNIFICANT LIBEL VICTORY,APOLOGY AND DAMAGES OVER ALLEGATIONS OF
"SLAVERY" BY LONDON NEWSPAPER
sudan.net/news/press/postedr/156.shtml

Our brother M.A.Shaik in his article intitled:
'American aid agencies accuse U.S of diliberately prolonging Sudan war' which exposes the "forked tounge" and hipocrisy of the u.s.. Website:
muslimedia.com/archives/oaw99/sudan-aid.htm

Inept Journalism:AA Gill and the sunday times on Darfur.Exposes lies of the British media.
sudan.net/news/press/postedr/300.shtml

PR:U.S CONGRESS TRIVIALIZES THE CONCEPT OF GENOCIDE sudan.net/news/posted/9191.html

SUDAN OPPOSITION LEADER: NO"ETHNIC"CLEANSING IN
DARFUR sudan.net/news/press/postedr/296.shtml

THE MEDIA,SUDAN AND DARFUR
sudan.net/news/press/postedr/293.shtml

CONGRESSMEN PAYNE AND TANCREDO:MORE HYPOCRISY ON SUDAN AND TERRORISM sudan.net/news/press/postedr/273.shtml

PR:Making money out of conflict:Francis Bok and "Slavery" in SUDAN sudan.net/news/press/postedr/245.shtml

This one will "tickle your ribs!!!!!!!!!
PR:President Bush Phones President Bashir
sudan.net/news/press/postedr/248.shtml

THE DARFUR CRISIS:HUMAN RIGHTS AND HYPOCRISY
sudan.net/news/press/postedr/289.shtml

THE NEW YORK TIMES AND SUDAN:A STUDY IN POOR JOURNALISM sudan.net/news/press/postedr/9.shtml

MILLIONS OF MUHAMMAD AHMED A
2004-08-03

SEEMA FROM UK said:
H.A on the topic of Cheese burgers - here is the one of the final revelations to Mohamed (PBUH). It funny how people like you.... won't take this one literally.....

5:5 "This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them...."

But I must say there is more important things to being a good muslim, than 'eating big macs'!!!!
2004-07-30

PAUL FROM UK said:
H.A.

Personally I find your posts funny , however I can see how many would take offence to them.

"Dig deep in your pockets" is an expression it means to give money / assistance. Surely you are not adverse to this?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have been supporting the Darfur refugees since September 03. Those countries governments which have donated money for this cause are USA & Canada = 49.6%, Europe = 47.8%, Africa = 0.2% and New Zealand 2.0%

(http://www.unhcr.ch/appeals/chadfunding_270704.pdf)

On the recent UN vote about Darfur "Seven Security Council members - Pakistan, China, Russia, Algeria, Angola, the Philippines and Brazil - had pushed for the reference to sanctions to be removed because they believe Khartoum needs more time to act. "

Hmm, this crisis has been going on since Autumn 03, surely enough time for the Sudan Government to act! Some might say it has acted by ethnic cleansing and Genocide.

Of those countries who objected 2 are Muslim nations and 3 have oil concessions in Sudan.


Peace for All
2004-07-30

RAHMAN FROM BANGLADESH said:

Isnt it high time muslims discuss the issues of racism. Why cant some Arab or muslim nations step up and talk about the issue.
I lived in Saudi Arabia for several years and saw how the Asian labours were treated as second class citizens by the Arabs.
It high time we discuss these issues and stop blaming others......

2004-07-29

CSABA CERE FROM SUDAN said:
H.A - your comments are fragmented and nearly unintelligible as usual. Who is 'fleeing'? It seems like you're saying that 'the brave hearts of the West' are the ones fleeing, but the point is that they're not there yet, so I don't know what you're talking about. Then again, I doubt you do either.

When you talk about Muslim relief organizations being shut down in the West, therefore making it the USA's duty to intercede in the Sudan, you're comparing apples to oranges. Do you think that the closed-down Muslim charities are capable of stopping this sort of violence? If they have that kind of firepower, then obviously they deserved to be shut down :). We're talking about intercession at the government level, with several thousand troops and serious military hardware. You're talking about a charity whose mandate was to clothe and feed 200 people. Apples and oranges my friend.

'Muslims countries have enough resources to help Muslims, but there are too many puppets and king and Queens who are wasting it on themselves only.' Seems you should be focusing your attention here, then, doesn't it?

'...the West tries to be the saviors of Muslims in i.e- Iraq an Afganhistan (ALL WITH LIES)?' I would think you'd want to keep 'the West' *out* of another Muslim country, then.

In all, you are exactly what 'Mohammed A.' predicted in his post. Congratulations.
2004-07-29

H.A. FROM YATHRIB said:
Here we go!!! The brave hearts of the West transform into "chicken hearts" when it comes to helping Muslims. And if the helpless are BLACK, then forget it...

The "civlized citizens" say:
"...What can we do?..." "...Search deep in our
pockets?...
- well, stop fleeing! You boasts being the brave creatures of Earth, so show it to the world. No fleeing.
& if you can spend $4,000,000,000 dollars a week in the stupid war in Iraq and give the terrorst state,Israel, $4,000,000,000 a yr to kill Muslims like cattles, WHY NOT SPEND some of that money and manpower to help the blacks in Sudan?

Were you not born to help the blacks?

Yeah, I know.. the "CIVILIZED WORLD" has history of ignoring the blacks wherever they may be.

Besides,
Nowdays you spending millions to shut down Muslim relief organizations in the USA and the world and labelling thems as terrorist financiers (by listening to the thugs(zionists and crusaders) in your gov'ts), SO THE DUTY SQUARELY FALLS ON YOU.

With all due respect, many Mulims who posted comments here need to stop eating HARAM cheesburgers and regain all your senses. I agree that it is puppets like you who are destroying the Muslim world. They (the puppets) of the United States only care about their own familiy, NOT THE PEOPLE OF their countries.

Muslims countries have enough resources to help Muslims, but there are too many puppets and king and Queens who are wasting it on themselves only. And of course, dining with the enemies of Islam.
Many Muslims say "Why blame the USA/WEst?"
well,
Why the West tries to be the saviors of Muslims in i.e- Iraq an Afganhistan (ALL WITH LIES)? And they can't help where people need help the most!
It is all because they want steal resources with a "angellic" spin.

"...In about 6 months time, the UN will put together a force to keep the peace in the region..."
- In about 6 months? Well, in about 6 months they all will be dead. Nice try!




2004-07-29

ROMESH CHANDER FROM US said:
Why US is not doing anything in Sudan/Darfur and has no intention of doing anything there in any way?. It is because of Oil; Yes, Sudan has Oil; US companies (probably Halliburton) operate there; so it lets Sudadense (an Islamic / Salafi / Whabbi Arab) Government do all the killing of black muslims in Darfur who just happended not to be Salafi/Whabbi. All the fancy statements by US and resolutions in UN are just plain hogwash. That is how the politics is played by the big boys; i.e., kill the weak and innocent.

Who said US does not love Whabbis when they help secure oil?
2004-07-28

MOHAMMED A FROM CANADA said:
Here is what will happen. In about 6 months time, the UN will put together a force to keep the peace in the region. It will be comprised of Americans, Canadian, Australians and Europeans,with a nominal Muslim contingency, probably from Turkey. These people will be risking their lives for people they neither know, or can even relate to. Eventually. peace will be restored to this region, and the rebuilding and healing process can begin.

All the while, Muslims, secure in their weakness, will complain that the International community (read US) didn't act quick enough, used too much force, shouldn't be there in the first place, or are just plain doing things wrong. We're already seeing people accusing the West of not doing anything because there isn't any oil in the Sudan, which is incorrect. And yet, why should the West or anyone in the non-Muslim world help? Especially when the Muslim countries are content to sit by and do nothing? It is easy to blame the 'Great Satans' for practically everything, but why do we run to them when there is trouble, even when it is our own trouble?

How many fighter-jets does Saudi Arabia have? How many troops are there in Pakistan? Or Iran? Certainly 'we' can put aside our differences and enforce the peace in the Sudan.

But of course, it will be easier to blame the US somehow.
2004-07-28

PAUL FROM UK said:
H.A.

It is wrong to say Sudan has no oil, it has plenty and it's exporting it! (http://rightsmaps.com/html/sudmap2.html).
Look where the Oil is and ask yourself why the Arab Moslems in Northern Sudan has been fighting the Black Christian / Animists in Southern Sudan and now also the Black Muslims in Western Sudan?

What is the international community doing and what are the options: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3928093.stm

What can we do? Have a look a the various Aid agencies involved and dig deep in your pockets or join the agencies and help: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3793577.stm

Peace for all.
2004-07-27

MATTHIAS FROM SWITZERLAND said:
more information on source-site of this article:
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/19/darfur9096.htm
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/20/darfur9095.htm

Does anyone knows about some muslim sources?
2004-07-27

MATTHIAS FROM SWITZERLAND said:
Why do the UN or EU have to threaten Sudan with an embargo in order to force an intervention and improvement of the situation? Where is the ummah? Where the other muslim states? If the Janjaweed militias would be Christians or Jews the situation would be a hot topic, but they are muslims, which is worse! We should not tolerate muslims killing and raping other muslims and a muslim government that is protecting them and even participating.
2004-07-27

ROMESH CHANDER FROM US said:
The Arab world is silent; they cannot hurt the feelings of a fellow Arab country (Sudan) by criticising it. The muslim world is silent; after all Isralies are not involved in killings of muslims in Darfur. Here only muslims are killings each other; and muslims seem to have no objection to that.

I am totally opposed to any infidel country going into Darfur/Sudan; after all, muslims don't want infidels to interfere in the affairs of muslims; after all, infidels will make a big mess there.

For a change, let muslims come to the help of other muslims; all they have to do is to stop the killing (a very easy thing to do).
2004-07-27

YAHYA BERGUM FROM USA said:
This clearly seems to be a case for an all-Arab solution. Why not perhaps show the U.S.A. how it is not necessary to steal what belongs to your brother in order to prevent him from brutally oppressing his subjects (some of whom I understand are Muslim)? If Arabs are not interested in "sending some good ahead of them" then perhaps they might at least wish to consider the international prestige and good will they would earn by doing something to resolve this crisis (insha'Allah).

While it is of course not for me to say, as long as only Arabs are on the ground it might also be possible to utilize some sort of American air support - if Arabs who chose to act in the crisis considered it prudent to have such support. Admittedly, that sort of support might seem to be one of the few things at which America has proven itself to be consistently proficient.

Allah hafiz.
2004-07-27

H.A. FROM YATHRIB said:
WHERE IS THE CIVILIZED WORLD? Hello!!!...people are dying in sudan!!!

Need to see BIG OIL RESERVES in SUDAN before you can get your _ _ _ _ off the couch?

I would like to see U.N. resolutions and a speech by the U.S., UK., and by so called "civilized" world officials at the U.N.


2004-07-27