The Observer, September 26, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 5
Darfur conflict continues amid little foreign support
A remote region of Africa now makes headline news. The interests of the tribes and nomadic people living there are central in the international political discourse. But do we really understand what is happening in Darfur? How did it get started? Why is it happening, and what is being done? Most importantly, what do those affected have to say about it?
The Southern tribal regions of Sudan have been subject to economic troubles, drought, and violent internal conflict for the past two decades. Multiple factions have risen out of the hardships in an attempt to gain control.
In 2003, due to the government's failure to respond to the economically depressed state of the region, warfare broke out in Sudan. Two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, began attacking military installments throughout the country.
Shortly thereafter, rebels in the South took up arms to fight against militias raiding their villages. Over the past few years, the Sudanese government has provided support to these militias to clear civilians in areas that are considered to be disloyal to the government. These government-sponsored militia groups are known as the Janjaweed. The campaign has become focused in the Darfur region of Sudan, primarily targeting the Fur, Massaleit, and Zaghawa tribes. Since its escalation to a fully armed conflict in 2003, the conflict in Sudan has resulted in the deaths of over 400,000 people and the displacement of over one million more.
Daoud Hari lost his brother and his village to Sudanese bombing in 2003. He managed to flee and become an active force in spreading global awareness about what is occurring in Darfur. He became a translator for the Chicago Tribune and was imprisoned, risking his life to convey the reality of what he had experienced. Hari spoke at the University of Alabama in July of this year, conveying tales of rape, beheadings, and killings of children. Hari said he had recently returned to his village only to find nobody there and everything he once knew completely destroyed. He has recently published a book, The Translator, which gives a firsthand account of Darfur tragedies . He is one of the fortunate few to have made it out alive.
Currently, the international community is choosing not to intervene in Darfur, citing respect for Sudan's national sovereignty as the reason. China is providing financial backing to the Sudanese government, as Sudan is their largest supplier of oil. The United States brokered peace deals shortly after the violence broke out, but the violent armed conflict continues.
