Darfur Conflict
The Darfur Conflict:
Those Who Seem to Support It, Those Who
Suffer Most from It, and the Difficulties in Ending It
Conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan has taken the lives of over 400,000 persons in the 21st century, perhaps as much as 20 percent of the regional population (Wikipedia, 2008). Nearly 2.5 million have been displaced from land they have inhabited for many years (Lynch, 2007). But, the world has done little to stop it or assist the people affected.
The situation in Darfur results from the interaction of a number of factors, including global warming, economic interests, and local politics. The semi-nomdic Janjaweed, which means "mounted demons," (Tesch, 2007), of northern Sudan are being driven south by the expanding desert which is robbing them of grazing lands for their livestock (Wikipedia, 2008). This has created conflict with the non-Arab Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit ethnic groups who have farmed on the southern Sudanese lands for hundreds, even thousands, of years. The government had given direction to the Janjaweed, as paramilitary, in putting down a Masalit uprising in the late 1990 's (Wikipedia, 2008). Although the government denies it, there is much evidence that the Sudanese government is aiding the Janjaweed in their current clash with the southern population because the destruction and displacement of these people actually benefits the government. The conflict also benefits several other powerful countries, such as China and others, who have blocked efforts by the United Nations to intervene on behalf of the people of Darfur, and humanitarian cries for assistance have not been successful (Powers, 2007).
The people of southern Sudan lived independently in an undeveloped environment until the early 1900 's when Britain forced control over the country of Sudan (Dickey, 2001). Still, most of the capital for development projects went to the northern section of the country (Wikipedia, 2008). Political leaders in the
Those Who Seem to Support It, Those Who
Suffer Most from It, and the Difficulties in Ending It
Conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan has taken the lives of over 400,000 persons in the 21st century, perhaps as much as 20 percent of the regional population (Wikipedia, 2008). Nearly 2.5 million have been displaced from land they have inhabited for many years (Lynch, 2007). But, the world has done little to stop it or assist the people affected.
The situation in Darfur results from the interaction of a number of factors, including global warming, economic interests, and local politics. The semi-nomdic Janjaweed, which means "mounted demons," (Tesch, 2007), of northern Sudan are being driven south by the expanding desert which is robbing them of grazing lands for their livestock (Wikipedia, 2008). This has created conflict with the non-Arab Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit ethnic groups who have farmed on the southern Sudanese lands for hundreds, even thousands, of years. The government had given direction to the Janjaweed, as paramilitary, in putting down a Masalit uprising in the late 1990 's (Wikipedia, 2008). Although the government denies it, there is much evidence that the Sudanese government is aiding the Janjaweed in their current clash with the southern population because the destruction and displacement of these people actually benefits the government. The conflict also benefits several other powerful countries, such as China and others, who have blocked efforts by the United Nations to intervene on behalf of the people of Darfur, and humanitarian cries for assistance have not been successful (Powers, 2007).
The people of southern Sudan lived independently in an undeveloped environment until the early 1900 's when Britain forced control over the country of Sudan (Dickey, 2001). Still, most of the capital for development projects went to the northern section of the country (Wikipedia, 2008). Political leaders in the
Cited: Darfur Conflict. Wikipedia. 7 January 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict. Lake, Anthony. "Brangelina vs. Chinese Mercantilism in Africa." New Perspectives Quarterly, v. 24 no. 4 (Fall 2007). 9 September 2007. Lynch, Colum. "Prosecutor: Sudan Not Cooperating in Darfur War Crimes Investigation." 6 December 2007. Washington Post. 7 January 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/05/AR2007120502430_pf Osman, Mohammed. "Darfur Rebels Attach Oil Field, Warn Chinese to Leave Sudan." 26 October 2007. Washington Post. 7 January 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/25/AR2007102502510_pf Power, Samantha. "The Human Rights Vacuum." 2005. Time. 7 January 2008. http://0-firstsearch.oclc.org.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/images/WSPL/wsppdfl/HTML/0036. .. Shelly Dickey. "Sudan." Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations: Africa. Detroit: Worldmark Press, Ltd. 2001. Tesch, Peiter. "A Peace of the Past." 15 October 2007. New Statesman. 6 January 2007. Wilson Web. Thomson, Jennifer. "Women from Darfur Tell Their Story of Rape and Beating." 28 May 2007. Associated Content. 7 January 2008. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/261243/women_from_darfur_tell_their_story.html