400,000 dead.
3,000,000 displaced.
This is Darfur.
This is genocide.
This is the on-going conflict in Sudan’s western-most region between the Arab government of Omar al-Bashir and the Janjaweed versus the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
Innocent men, women and children are killed mercilessly for a cause not of their own.’ Men and boys are lined up in villages and executed.’ Women and girls are beaten, gang raped and left to die.
Thousands of villages, used to hundreds of years of tribal life, are destroyed.’ Crops are burnt and well water is contaminated with dead babies.
Those who are lucky enough to escape the AK-47s or bombs of the Janjaweed, travel days without food and water hoping somewhere to find relief across the border in Chad (where a civil war has plagued the country since 2005).
Peacekeeping efforts have never had the support (or the media coverage) that is truly needed to help those in Darfur to survive.’
President al-Bashir has continually denied visas to peacekeeping authorities and has prevented aid from reaching those in Darfur in dire need.’
He has ignored all pleas for a ceasefire and allowed his men to keep on killing, stating before that genocide isn’t happening in Darfur.
We have to stop this madness.’
We have to stand up for those who aren’t able to protect themselves.
The people of Darfur need us.’ They need us to acknowledge their heartaches and their losses.
After the Holocaust, after Rwanda, after millions have perished, how can we continue to ignore the atrocity of genocide?
This should be front page news–every day–until our country makes a considerable effort to save Darfur.
We need to stand up to a president who is killing his people.
On March 3, 2009 the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled to issue an arrest warrant for al-Bashir but more needs to be done.
Save Darfur. Every person deserves to live without the fear of bullets, bombs and death.
To take a stand, join UT Stand, ResLife, and the Diversity Fellowship at the Peace Rally on Wednesday, April 29 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in Vaughn Courtyard.’
Don’t let 400,000 be just another number.
Alyssa Lum may be reached at alum@ut.edu.
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