The Genocide in Darfur
Introduction Sudan is the largest country in North Africa, that became an Independent country in 1960 and soon thereafter conflict aroused. Sudan is a drought prone country that has seen quite a few wars that have left the country in famine and misery. (Bradshaw, White, Dymond & Chacko, 2009). A region of western Sudan, Darfur, meaning land of the fur people, has been getting a lot of attention lately due to an ongoing armed conflict called Genocide. The genocide, meaning, “deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group” (Merriam -Webster), has been ongoing for quite some time now, and has proved to be a deadly war. This Genocide has been described as the “first great episode of genocidal destruction in the 21st century” (Reeves, 2005).
Discussion
The genocide in Darfur began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) began attacking governments, accusing Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, of oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs (BBC News, 2010). Most of the conflict in Darfur is between the Arab Muslim north and the black Christian and animistic south. Recently Arab Muslims controlled the government; however during the years of war Sudan’s economy has significantly weakened which has made it difficult for the government to assert any effective control over the war-torn country. Therefore the government relies on undisciplined troops and paramilitary groups to fight those that oppress them (Bradshaw, White, Dymond & Chacko, 2009). Sudan has experienced constant civil war with only a brief ten-year pause since its independence in 1965. More than two million people have been killed and twice that many have been displaced in the long-running war between consecutive governments of north Sudan and the people of south Sudan.in Darfur the Sudanese government is destroying African Muslim communities because a few African Muslim have challenged Khartoum’s authoritarian rule.
Discussion
The genocide in Darfur began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) began attacking governments, accusing Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, of oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs (BBC News, 2010). Most of the conflict in Darfur is between the Arab Muslim north and the black Christian and animistic south. Recently Arab Muslims controlled the government; however during the years of war Sudan’s economy has significantly weakened which has made it difficult for the government to assert any effective control over the war-torn country. Therefore the government relies on undisciplined troops and paramilitary groups to fight those that oppress them (Bradshaw, White, Dymond & Chacko, 2009). Sudan has experienced constant civil war with only a brief ten-year pause since its independence in 1965. More than two million people have been killed and twice that many have been displaced in the long-running war between consecutive governments of north Sudan and the people of south Sudan.in Darfur the Sudanese government is destroying African Muslim communities because a few African Muslim have challenged Khartoum’s authoritarian rule.
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