America Calls Genocide,
Sudan Calls Foul
By Tim Tyson, 10.28.04
Government aircraft fly over a rural village in Sudan and destroy straw-roofed houses.
A mechanized military unit pulls up to the burnt down village followed shortly by the government sponsored militia on horseback and camels. A consistent volley of gunfire surround the community.
Government of Sudan (GOS) aircraft return to bomb fleeing villagers. Soldiers enter the ruins of the village with the mission to loot.
This scene has been played out over and over against many non-Arab Sudanese in Darfur, according to a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) report based on interviews with 1,136 refugees.
The GOS and the government’s militia, the Janjaweed, are made up of mostly Arab Sudanese. According to the report, non-Arab villages are the primary targets.
“The primary cleavage is ethnic: Arabs (GOS and militia forces) vs. non-Arab villagers. Both groups are predominantly Muslim,” the report stated.
USAID also explained the global scale of this civil war.
“The conflict between the Government of Sudan (GOS) and two rebel groups that began in 2003 has precipitated the worst humanitarian and human rights crisis in the world today,” the report stated.
The findings prompted President Bush in a recent news release to urge the international community to support relief efforts in Sudan.
“Genocide has taken place in Darfur,” Bush stated. “We urge the international community to work with us to prevent and suppress acts of genocide.”
Virginia resident Steve Swango echoed the president’s opinion.
“They definitely need more support,” Swango said. “America should play a role with the rest of the world as a part of a coalition.”
U.N. Responsibilities
Genocide is a word that carries considerable international weight, according to the United Nations. The U.N. Convention on genocide stated that under international law, the systematic destruction of one race is a crime.
One hundred and thirty four countries have signed the convention, which requires them to attempt to prevent and punish acts of genocide.
Ryan Council, a graduate student studying in Virginia, suggested that America strongly consider a peaceful solution.
“I don’t necessarily think we should go to war about it,” Council said. “If that’s what it comes to, fine, but I think we need to try mediation.”
U.N. members are now faced with how to respond to the situation in Darfur. While the war rages, there are least 1.2 million Sudanese Refugees. Four hundred thousand are starving with the number growing daily, according to U.N. estimates.
Of the refugees USAID interviewed, 61-percent had witnessed a family member murdered and one-third reported hearing racial slurs.
Racial comments such as “Slaves, run! Leave the country. You don’t belong; why are you not leaving this area for the Arab cattle to graze?” were said to a Zaghawa refugee interviewed in Kounoungo.
Sudan Response
The GOS credibility brought the USAID report into question. In numerous news releases, the GOS has attempted to outline reasons to doubt the U.S. claim of genocide.
An Oct. 22 news release explained how Dr. Abu AlFattoh, head of the Arab Doctors Union, and his team of doctors had toured every refugee camp and said he saw nothing to support the U.S. claim of genocide.
“We found no evidence of genocide, ethnic cleansing or mass rape,” AlFattoh said.
In another news release, Sudan Ambassador Khidir Haroun Ahmed attacked the USAID report, pointing out that the team only visited refugees in Chad and had not even visited Darfur. Refugees in Chad, he claimed, are under the influence of anti-GOS rebels, which biased the interviews.
“The influence of the rebel movement on the outcome of the American investigation cannot be overstated,” Haroun said.
