Darfur's Half-Decade of Genocide

I. Citation

Darfur’s Half-Decade of Genocide
Human Events
March 14th, 2008
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25491

II. Summary

400,000 innocent people have been killed and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes because of their ethnicity. The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur has struggled with lack of support from western nations in their quest to end this genocide. Unfortunately, this struggle is ongoing. With the U.N.’s “humiliating failure” in Darfur, the Sudanese government has continued to arm and direct the Janjaweed to slaughter thousands of innocent people. In February, 12,000 people were forced to leave their homes when the Sudanese army launched a major attack in two Darfurian towns. Many believe that the United Nations has not done enough to stop the genocide. According to the author of the article, “after years of neither preventing nor punishing genocide in Darfur, it’s ready to teak heroic action.”

III. Reaction

A) The AP World History theme that relates to this article is, “Impaction of interaction among and within society,” because the Janjaweed are in conflict with the rebel groups of the region.
B) The Darfur Genocide is a military conflict in western Sudan that has been ongoing since 2003. The Janjaweed, a militia group backed by the Sudanese government, are in war with the Sudan Liberation Movement, the Justice and Equality Movement and other rebel groups. Although denying that it supports the Janjaweed, the Sudanese government has provided assistance to the militia, responsible for the attacks of innocent people.
C) The point of view of the article is that of an American male citizen. He is an outsider on this particular issue.
D) The author seems to strongly disagree with the United Nations actions. Allott shows his frustration by emphasizing to the reader that although the U.N. believes that Darfur is one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, they have not done as much as they could to stop the genocide. Phrases such as “U.N.’s humiliating failure,” and “the image of the hapless U.N.” further display the authors negative view of the U.N.’s actions.
E) The point of view missing within the article is that of the United Nations. Although quotes from U.N. members are included, they are scarce. It would be interesting to hear if the U.N. believe their first mission to Darfur was a failure and what they plan on doing in the near future to stop this genocide. An additional question to ask would be why the U.N., unlike the American government, has not declared the War in Darfur as genocide.
F) Imagine sitting at home and all of the sudden, raids of madmen burst into your house and kill your brother and sister. It is simply unimaginable. Thousands of innocent people have been slaughtered every day because of their ethnicity. It is horrifying. Half the world has no idea that such a horrible thing is occurring. Tell others that this genocide is reminiscent of the WWII Holocaust. “What are you crazy-no way,” would be their answer. The saddest part is that the United Nations; a very reputable organization, hasn’t taken “heroic action” yet. Fortunately, our school has taken action. Although SHSE is a small body, we were able to raise awareness of the genocide taking place in Darfur.