Genocide in darfur Essay Example for Free

Genocide in darfur Essay In 2003, a genocide began in the Darfur region of Sudan. According to the website, â€Å"World Without Genocide† the Sudanese government armed arab militia groups to attack ethnic affair groups. This has escalated to the mass slaughter of 480,000 people. The Sudanese government called this campaign â€Å"getting at the fish by draining the sea†. This is why countries around the world should open up their eyes and help a country that is going through a genocide. The genocide is occurring in the western region of Sudan. This area is referred to as Darfur. The area consists of about six million people from nearly 100 tribes. Some of them are farmers, others nomads, all of them are Muslim. The bordering countries around Darfur are Libya, Chad, and the Central African Republic. In 1989, General Omar Bashir took control of Sudan by military coup. Soon after conflicts increased between African farmers and many nomadic Arab tribes. The main reason the genocide started is because in 2003, two Darfuri rebel movements were created. The Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement were created to inform the Sudanese government about the marginalization (to put or keep someone in a powerless or unimportant position within a society) of the area and the failure to protect sedentary people from attacks by nomads. This angered the Sudanese government who soon unleashed Arab militias known as Janjaweed, or â€Å"devils on horseback†. These militias attacked hundreds of villages throughout Darfur with help from the Sudanese army.. Over 400 villages were completely destroyed and millions of civilians were forced to abandon their homes. All of the thousands of lives taken by the Janjaweed are mostly to be blamed on the Sudanese government. Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is to blame for the massacre that has been created. He allowed The National Islamic Front to inflame regional tensions. This caused a flow of weapons into Darfur straight to the Janjaweed. The Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb is also to blame for leading his militia group to murder thousands of people. Two of the biggest countries in the world are to blame. Russia and China have blocked off any resolutions, sent by the United Nations, to please the Sudanese government. They are doing this because China exports all military equipment to the Sudanese military and they invest heavily into the Sudanese oil. Russia protects the Sudanese government because they Sudan’s strongest investment partner and political ally in Europe. Another big country is trying to help the Darfuri citizens, even though Russia and China are trying to stop them. Britains Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote a letter to the members of the European Union calling for a unified response to the crisis. He supported the United Nations Security Council Resolution in 2007 authorizing the deployment of up to 26,000 peacekeepers to try to stop the violence in Darfur. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a speech to the United Nations, that the Darfur crisis was the greatest humanitarian disaster the world faces today. He has also endorsed the International Criminal Court’s ruling regarding Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir and has urged the Sudanese government to co-operate. The United Nations (an intergovernmental organization established to promote international co-operation) and the UNAMID (United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur) have been the main supporters. The U. N. authorized up to 26,000 troops and police for the new hybrid force. Although only 60% are on the ground, they are still trying there best to protect the citizens of Darfur. The UNAMID has been unable to adequately protect civilians on the ground because of the obstructionism on the part of the Sudanese government and lack of supplies, funding and equipment by the international community. With the proper supplies and support from other countries, the UNAMID would be a lot closer to ending this genocide. People around the world are clueless about this issue. A mass murder is going on everyday and they have no idea about it. If they were to open their eyes and see the various support groups the they could help fund they could make a difference in this world. Doing this would have a greater impact than expected. You would be helping stop one of the greatest humanitarian disaster the world faces today but, you could also help show the big countries controlling the Sudanese government and helping them get away with this massacre that what theyre doing is wrong.