sudan situation is ignored
Not a sexy conflict
:rolleyes: i knew most guys would click on this thread if i chose a sufficiently appropriate title.
According to the BBC’s Richard Slee, UN officials have described what’s happening in Sudan as the “world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis”. From the very little that i fathom, the Sudanese government seems to be turning a very convenient blind eye to alleged “massacres” and atrocities being committed by pro-government Arab militias. Anyone in the Arab League awake ? For that matter, anyone in the United Nations awake ? Sudan doesn’t have attractive terrorists like bin Laden or Mullah Omar, so a million displaced folks in 12 months doesn’t attract too much international pity.
Surely one of those million displaced folks, living in some squalid refugee camp, will be brimming with hatred and resentment, maybe a little Sudanese boy who saw his father and mother hacked to pieces by some pro-government Arab militia member. Don’t be too surprised if we get a Sudanese bin Laden within the next ten years 
‘Mass execution’ in western Sudan](BBC NEWS | Africa | 'Mass execution' in western Sudan), BBC, 23 April 2004
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Caption: Refugees fleeing Darfur have told horrific tales
Dramatic new allegations have been made about a massacre allegedly committed by pro-government forces in western Sudan. New York-based group, Human Rights Watch says it has established that pro-government militias executed 136 men in a coordinated operation last month.
The allegation comes as the United Nations Human Rights Commission adopted a watered down statement on Darfur. The United States had pushed for a much harder hitting resolution criticising Sudanese government abuses.
Unlike the original draft resolution, the text does not go into details about the targeting of civilians by the Arab militias in Sudan, or mention rape, sexual assault and forced removals of black communities in the area. Rather than condemning Sudan, it expresses solidarity with the country in overcoming the present situation.
Critics say this is a considerable climb-down by the UN and the resolution was voted against by the US. “We fear a terrible famine to come when tens of thousands may well perish,” the US envoy Richard Williamson said. “The commission so far has failed to meet its responsibility today.”
**The UN says more than 10,000 people have been killed and over one million displaced over the past year as a result of conflict in Darfur.
HRW says last month, men from the Fur ethnic group were rounded up with the help of government forces, and delivered to their place of execution in army lorries.**
The Sudanese government has not responded to the report.
Talks aimed at ending the fighting in neighbouring Chad are reported to be making little progress.
The BBC’s Will Ross, in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, said that on day four of the talks, the total time the opposing sides have spent in each others’ company can still be counted in minutes.
The two rebel groups - the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) - accuse the government of consistently breaking a recently agreed ceasefire by bombing villages and backing an Arab militia in the area.
A UN mission was due to travel to Darfur on Friday to investigate allegations of atrocities there.
But the Jem claims the Sudanese government is trying to derail the peace talks so that the deployment of observers is delayed and the attacks can continue. Sudanese minister Mohammed Yussef Abdullah, however, said he was “confirming that there is no single bombing or single air raid that has taken place”.
The lack of urgency at the talks provides little hope of an imminent end to the rising humanitarian disaster, our correspondent says.
Human rights campaigners expressed outrage on Thursday that a leaked UN report strongly critical of the Sudanese government was withheld from the UN debate. The report, seen by the BBC, details claims of rape, looting and killing of non-Arabs by militias with government help.
It says the atrocities in Darfur “may constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity”. It was compiled by a UN team of experts who visited Chad to speak to refugees from the conflict.
Sudan was accused of delaying the team’s trip to Darfur to prevent evidence of atrocities coming under discussion.
Jemera Rone of Human Rights Watch told BBC News Online: “The Sudanese government is playing games with the international community, trying to delay the day of reckoning and prevent any systematic monitoring of its atrocities in Darfur.”
The UN secretary general himself has talked of his sense of foreboding over the situation in Darfur, drawing parallels with the situation before the Rwandan genocide.
Re: Not a sexy conflict
you got me!
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Originally posted by shawaiz: you got me!
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yeah, i got you and the other ~9 guys who have clicked on this thread so far but are too embarassed to admit it :D
No america to blame here, so it's likely not important.
Anytime we see sexy and Nadia we know it’s important 
Hmm.. I dunno, Sudan is a sticky situation. Hasn’t the African Union (?) been jaw-jacking on this for a while? I thought that regional players have been saying they want to control their own problems from now on, prove that they’re potent in the international arena. I’ve heard it, but haven’t seen much substance.
I don’t really know what outside players can do there. This is a good example of how the idea that peace-making/-keeping isn’t always a viable plan. Sure, aid workers can try to dampen the blows to the population, try to create a work structure with incentives against fighting. But any military involvement there, whether active or passive, would most likely lead both sides to take advantage of them and not create any true incentives for halting the violence.
I gotta admit tho that I don’t know too much about the background there, so my comments come from a position of ignorance. I’ll study up :k: ]
Slavery is alive and well. Guess who is the culprit.
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*Originally posted by Matsui: *
Slavery is alive and well. Guess who is the culprit.
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Arabs, muslims, americans? Who could it be?
I confess that I don't know the root causes of the conflict or the race or religion of the warring factions. The part of the article that strikes me though is as follows:
** "The allegation comes as the United Nations Human Rights Commission adopted a watered down statement on Darfur. The United States had pushed for a much harder hitting resolution criticising Sudanese government abuses.
Unlike the original draft resolution, the text does not go into details about the targeting of civilians by the Arab militias in Sudan, or mention rape, sexual assault and forced removals of black communities in the area. Rather than condemning Sudan, it expresses solidarity with the country in overcoming the present situation.
Critics say this is a considerable climb-down by the UN and the resolution was voted against by the US. "We fear a terrible famine to come when tens of thousands may well perish," the US envoy Richard Williamson said. "The commission so far has failed to meet its responsibility today." **
Apparently the US is again in the minority when it comes to seeking tough UN resolutions. I know this might sound like heresy to some but is it possible the US might be on the morally right side on this one? Why not condemn "rape, sexual assault and forced removals of black communities?" Faced with a predicted "terrible famine" to come, will UN expressions of solidarity feed the hungry?
What's with the UN on this? Does anyone know?
Govts. just don't get it - anybody who's not in agreement gets butchered. Why do people in power feel they are immortal and above the law, with no one to answer to? Countries friendly to the Sudanes govt and the rebels should do more to help the parties come to an agreement. Obviously the parties fighting have to be so inclined (to an agreement). Butchering and expelling civilians from their homes !
Its been going on in Sudan on a much larger scale for years. The government continues to support militias to "ethnically cleanse" the southern and western parts of the country. Millions displaced, raped, tortured over at least two decades.
See the christians and muslims in sudan are stictly classed as arabs too, so going by your post in the amerikkans thread you're not really concerned about them at all!!!! for shame!!!
Back to the Nigerians, myvoice what's it all about?
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*Originally posted by Chota: *
See the christians and muslims in sudan are stictly classed as arabs too, so going by your post in the amerikkans thread you're not really concerned about them at all!!!! for shame!!!
Back to the Nigerians, myvoice what's it all about?
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Actually, many of the current victims are Muslims in the Darfur area. It's just that they are black-African-Muslims. So the government doesn't see much use in them.
You are right, however, that soldiers who are ill-behaved should be punished.
Hmmm I missed all the arab hatred in there, I'm sure you'll get back to it.
Nadia,
"According to the BBC’s Richard Slee, UN officials have described what’s happening in Sudan as the “world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis”. From the very little that i fathom, the Sudanese government seems to be turning a very convenient blind eye to alleged “massacres” and atrocities being committed by pro-government Arab militias. "
Now in light of this, what would you expect from the UN? To further illustrate why the UN is completely and wholly inept, consider that Sudan was just appointed to The UN Human Rights commission! Unbelieveable! The US walked out in protest, but of course no one will report this, notice this or complain about this. But when Sudan spins out of control, someone should be questioning the judgements of the UN.
"U.S. snubs Human Rights Commission vote for Sudan
United Nations, , May. 4 (UPI) – The U.S. delegation to the U.N. Economic and Social Council walked out Tuesday to protest election of Sudan to the Human Rights Commission.
Ambassador Sichan Siv, the U.S. representative, led the delegation of four out of the meeting at U.N. World Headquarters in New York.
“The United States is perplexed and dismayed by the decision to put forward Sudan – a country that massacres its own African citizens – for election,” said Siv.
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040504-113544-5591r.htm
I just read that today too and was dismayed.
First, the “hard-hitting” UN Resolution that is referenced in Nadia’s original post fails to mention little details about the targeting of civilians by the Arab militias in Sudan, or mention rape, sexual assault and forced removals of black communities in the area. Instead, it expresses solidarity with Sudan in overcoming the present situation.
As its next step in diplomacy, it appoints Sudan to the Human Rights Commission. 
What twisted little minds come up with this stuff???
Just to make a point any country voted into the HR Commission is done so by member states not by any person higher up. So if the US was kept out it was because of members of the UN did not want it involved. So blame the 191 UN members as well as the US for failing to get the votes they needed. That however is a seperate discussion.
Darfur is not a religious war. Rather it is an ethnic/tribal one which is centuries old. Sudan like egypt is an artifically (in my opinion) ethnically divided nation. Arabs to the north and Africans to the south. That is the problem here. You have arabs who are "richer" killing africans. The Sudanese govt favours arabs over the ethnic africans, irrespective of religion. There are arab christains and pagan religions while there are african muslims. Irrespective of religion the arab "caste" is given preference.
The main issue as always is that nobody wants to deal with africa unless there is a luractive business option. Western Africa is brought to the attention of so many countries because of diamonds, silver, gold and other precious and semi-precious commodities.
Sudan doesnt have any of this. To add Sudan's government is labelled a terrorist one and suffers from famine yearly. It has a civil war on its hands and refugees from various nations who unwisely chose to settle there. There is also the issue of the "lost boys" of Africa who are very common in Africa.
Sudan is a basket case and a microcosm of africa itself. Nobody wants to get involved because it would military action like that of Somalia. Something i have wanted to see in the UN forces is an active military solution to be an option. Sadly it isnt. This would be a prime case. UN military forces move in and quell the distrubance and bring the criminals to justice. A police force of the world if you will.
Very few nations however would agree to that. Pakistan would of course never agree to it. But i only see a military option as a solution to this conflict.
...
I saw a film on this on C4 news and it made me sick. I was saddened by the sight of Muslims killing other Muslims. Those brothers, Allah help them, even said of the Arab militia:
"They burn our mosques, kill our imams and burn our Qurans".
Astagfur-Allah!
Arabs have a real problem. They always make trouble, I mean I support them against Israel as they have genuine grief, but making life hell for my Muslim brothers in Southern Africa. Damn.
Why isnt the Muslim world stopping this?
Why arent Muslim nations MAKING Sudan stop this crime?
When a brother kills a brother man, the only one's whose happy is the other man.
i agree Sudan's appointment is bizarre. Frankly, i don't think any country really deserves to have that appointment.
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Why isnt the Muslim world stopping this?
Why arent Muslim nations MAKING Sudan stop this crime?
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That's the million dollar question innit. Hello - any Muslim dictator/president awake?
Re: ...
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*Originally posted by legbreakgoogly: *
Why isnt the Muslim world stopping this?
Why arent Muslim nations MAKING Sudan stop this crime?
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where were they for iraq? for palestine?
the people are there....its the leaders who are corrupt.