The Observer, April 28, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 26
Case undergrads cycle to benefit suffering in Sudan
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Imagine a place where famine, constant fear, and astonishing death tolls are a daily occurrence. This is the situation in northern Africa, where nearly 4 million refugees live in fear and hunger and fatalities number in the tens of thousands. Yet many people in the rest of the world have not heard of the situation.
Centered in the Darfur region of Sudan, this crisis has been called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world by international observers and the U.S. State Department. In an effort to alleviate the suffering, the United Nations World Food Program has been delivering food to the region for some years now. However, despite these ardent efforts, aid has fallen short for hundreds of thousands of people.
The beginnings of the crisis date back to the 1970s when competition for scarce natural resources between Arabs and Africans caused tensions to surface. The result has been a 21-year civil war that has continued to persist. However, strife become rampant only recently. In February 2003, rebel groups of African Muslims struck out against their capital government in Khartoum. The reason for the outbreak was the resentment of the unremitting inequalities between Africans and the ruling Arab elite, who are themselves Muslims.
In response, the government armed local militias to crack down on three main ethnic groups: the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa. Also, the Janjaweed – a government-backed group – terrorize Africans, destroying villages, killing and maiming the people, ransacking food supplies, and blocking international assistance. Human rights groups say that the government is carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign by funding the Janjaweed militants.
Additionally, there is a U.N. report accusing local government leaders of instituting a policy of "forced starvation" that simultaneously has government officials denying problems with food distribution while militias prevent food delivery.
Two Case undergraduates have formulated a plan to contribute to the cause. I sat with sophomore Djuro Karanovic and junior Neal George to discuss their concern over the crisis in the Sudan.
Preet Gudimella: What are your plan and goals?
Djuro Karanovic: Our goal is basically to raise awareness… We're not placing a limit, but a goal of awareness I say is to have as many newspapers as we can contact to run a story about this. Our plan is that we're cycling from Cleveland to Washington D.C. It's about 450 miles and we're basically going to go bare-bones…like no hotels, nothing, we're just going to sleep in the wilderness.
PG: There are epidemics and genocides in our present world that require much attention. So frankly, why do you feel others should help your cause rather than giving their financial assistance to other areas?
Neal George: I have to say that Sudan is a place that is in dire need and there has been a civil war for 21 years, so there are a lot of displaced people…a lot more than anywhere else. It's a humanitarian crisis, so there needs to be awareness and also help given to that area so that, you know, the place can be settled and people can live reasonably. We're trying to maybe raise awareness for everyone just so they're aware of what's going on and at least take some action, maybe not monetarily, but be aware and maybe even set up their own causes and maybe be inspired by us. It doesn't have to be monetary, it can be clothing, you can send over books, food…whatever.
PG: It seems the crisis in Sudan is a political struggle. Does this make you worried about any controversy that may arise and others' disinclination to help? How will you ensure your donors that your efforts are of a different nature? Actually, could you specify the mission for your plan?
DK: Yeah, naturally we're concerned that people are going to question the political nature of this, but I think people will realize that this is a pure cause and we're just trying to help people find their homes. We're not supporting anybody politically or anything and the United Nations is known as an autonomous organization…they're not associated politically and we hope we'll get people's effort. The mission is basically just to raise awareness because not many people know how 4 million people are out of their homes and how that conflict over there has lasted for over 20 years. That's basically the mission.
PG: Many major organizations such as the United Nations and UNICEF have been contributing a lot of their resources to Sudan and they have been doing quite a commendable job. Do you plan to donate the proceeds to such organizations, or do you have something else in mind?
NG: We are working with the UNHCR which is the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and all our donations are going to them. They actually have a base in Sudan where they work out of and they are the ones who are predominantly working in the region and if you read any news story, the UNHCR is really predominant in Sudan…. we actually donate directly to them. I think what they do is very important to what the cause is about because they really are the backbone; they're actually the people who are taking action in Sudan. We're thousands of miles away, but they're the ones in the frontline, so we're trying to give them as much support as possible.
PG: How much impact do you feel your event will have for the cause and how will you ensure that the proceeds make it to the people in need?
DJ: Well, to answer the second part of the question, all the proceeds from our website are directly going to the U.N. and that cause is specific, so that's how we're ensuring the money goes to the right people. And how much impact we're expecting…we're hoping at least to get the city of Cleveland and then Pittsburgh and then Washington D.C. We want their citizens to know a little more about this.
PG: Do you have personal reasons for committing to your effort?
NG: Yeah, I do. My aunt is actually working there, she's actually part of the Mother Teresa order called Sisters of Charity and she's been there for about seven to eight years and she sends over letters all the time and describes the desolate situation over there. It's kind of inspiring, so that's my personal reason because I really want to do something for her…maybe like in her name kind of thing…she has really motivated me to do it. She lives under simple life and, you know, we're over here living it up and I feel it is my duty to do something.
PG: Why did you decide to pick up cycling as your basis for raising donations?
DK: Well, we first decided upon the cause and then once we decided to help out in the crisis for Sudan we were thinking of ways we can do this. I remember reading something about a guy who walked across the United States to try to raise awareness for a cause that he was doing. So our first idea was walking and then once we realized that it would take a really long time to walk somewhere, so then we basically set upon cycling. Our first city we wanted to do was Boston, but then once the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees decided to endorse the cause, we then switched to Washington, D.C.
For more information on Karanovic and George, or the crisis in Sudan, visit www.cycleforsudan.com.
