In 2003, representing the concerns of Black Africans in Darfur who felt marginalized by government policies the economically and politically favored Arab Muslims, two rebel groups, the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) attacked the Sudanese militia.
Distrustful of government forces, which were overwhelmingly Darfurian, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir responded to the attack by arming the Janjaweed, an Arab militia, to suppress the insurgency. The Janjaweed have been brutal in their attacks on Black Africans, especially in Darfur where they have left a trail of rape, mutilation, and murder.
Sudan is an ethnic mix of Black indigenous tribes and Arabs, overwhelmingly Muslim. Black Africans have been the primary target of Janjaweed violence. An estimated 200,000 civilians have been murdered, with many more raped and disfigured. In addition, approximately two million black Africans have been displaced. Aptly, the U.S. has labeled the attack genocide. The Sudanese government, however, perceives attempts at outside intervention and aid as anti-Muslim, saying, “The international concern over Darfur is actually as targeting of the Islamic state in Sudan.”
In May 2003 the United Nations brokered the Darfur Peace Agreement. When asked about the agreement’s progress in June, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said that progress was slow but upon entering the agreement five things were essential to success: “The first was to press the rebels who have not signed the agreement to come on board…The second was to work with those who have signed the agreement to begin effective implementation immediately…The third is to strengthen the African Union force so that it can do its work and protect the IDPs [internally displaced persons] as effectively as possible…The fourth issue that we've been working on is to work with the donor community to get the resources to assist the IDPs and the people in need…And of course, the final and the fifth important task is to plan and deploy the UN peacekeeping troops.”
Call to Action:
These organizations are among the many seeking to change the face of the atrocity through activism.
- Save Darfur Coalition
2120 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Tel.: 202-478-6311
www.savedarfur.org
Global Relief Fund—World Vision
P. O. Box 9716
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
Tel.: 1-888-511-6548
Susan Monroe is editor of Devotion. Contact her at getsignature@aol.com.