The Crisis In Darfur: Critical Mass
The country of Sudan, and more importantly the region Darfur, is arguably one of the most atrocious examples of human rights and developmental abuse and neglect in the world today. It is estimated that some two million people have been internally displaced in Sudan, pushing many into the Darfur region and into the country of Chad. This huge displaced population has led to a multitude of human rights abuses and barriers to development.
Much of the problem stems from a conflict that primarily escalated in February of 2003. It was at this time that a new-armed group emerged that dubbed itself the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A). The group was mainly comprised of ethic groups from within Darfur that deemed it necessary to attack government troops in hopes of calling attention to the failed government involvement in the underdeveloped region. They were followed by a second group called the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), who had similar intentions.
Unfortunately for the civilians of the area, this plan did not bear fruit, and the government of Sudan responded with a substantial military effort. Simultaneously, local militias know as Janjawid, were given freedom to undertake attacks in the region. Obviously these are conditions that are not going to bode well for the civilians that reside in this area, and as a result, there has been a relative standstill of human rights and development in the region.
The trail of human rights abuses reads like a laundry list of terror for those living in Darfur and there has also been a disproportionately high loss of life due to conditions in the region. “Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have lost their lives since the Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003. Systematic human rights abuses have occurred, including killing, torture, rape, looting and destroying of property by all parties involved in the conflict, but primarily by the Sudanese government and government-backed Janjawid militia.”
The violence of the Janjawid and other factions in Darfur has had negative ramifications on development in the region as well. With the continuing uncertainty towards the security situation of Darfur, development projects have been able to do little more than attempt to assist in the most basic life saving functions. This has left no time or ability for the international community to implement any programs that can sustainably empower the displaced people of Darfur. “As such, a broader concept of human security need[s] to be injected alongside humanitarian intervention in order to address the multiple dimensions of the conflict and support the continued quest for peace.” There are three primary missions which the UN has identified as the most prudent and immediate needs in the Darfur region, namely: “Support the consolidation of the rule of law program in the three Darfurian states, Provide capacity building support to the local government in Darfur for strategic planning and budgeting, Implement an early recovery program based on an expanded RRP and a livelihood/employment program.”
I feel like this is at least a good start, being that little has proved to build momentum in the region. These three needs are the foundation that needs to be laid so that long term development issues can be addressed, and so that good governance can begin to curb the down right outlandish abuses of human rights that have transpired is the better part of the last decade. The thing that absolutely must not continue is the status quo, which is supplying life sustainment with no overall evolution of development, or long-term goals that will empower Darfurians to live their own fulfilling and self directed lives. As James Healey states: “To date, international efforts have failed and a closer look at a U.S. unilateral intervention, a multilateral military intervention, a regional solution, specific flexible deterrents, or a combination of these approaches is required to end the crisis in Darfur.” While I don’t agree with the totality of Healey’s paper, I do agree that what has been transpiring is frankly just not working. How long can we afford (or more importantly the people of Darfur afford) to neglect the development barriers and human rights problems in this, one of the most specific and recognized crises the world over. With so many foreign commitments around the world that continue to lose more and more support for a variety of reasons, the U.S. and the UN could look at this as an opportunity to address a problem that is easy to recognize and for people to rally behind. I can find almost no better situation for implementation of a new push of foreign aid, to some of the most needy people on this earth.
[1] http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/sudan/page.do?id=1011244
[1] http://www.amnesty.ca/themes/sudan_darfur_conflict.php
[1] http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/sudan/page.do?id=1011244
[1] http://www.sd.undp.org/UNDP%20darfur.htm
[1] IBID
[1] IBID
[1] http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA469377&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
© 2010, Josh Rehfeldt. All rights reserved.
The case of Darfur is a very sad case indeed, to say the least. But one of the positive developments that I’ve witnessed in the past few years is the increased awareness about this issue in the Arab world. While the attention of Arab peoples and leaders has been mostly on Palestine, I see that some countries like Qatar are putting serious efforts to solve the crisis. Media campaigns and charity organizations have also been doing more to help out. It’s true that there is still a long way to heal Darfur, but baby steps are being taken.