Darfur: The Tragedy Deepens

After nearly four years of violence, homelessness and death, the people of Darfur, Sudan continue to suffer, with no end in sight. Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said, "Can the international community, having not done enough for the people of Rwanda in their time of need, just watch as this tragedy deepens?" "It's very clear that we're heading towards the abyss, and it's very clear that now is the time for action," said U.N. Undersecretary General Jan Egeland. But action has been slow in coming. The international community has imposed sanctions against the Sudanese government hoping to force it to end the fighting. So far, the fighting has only gotten worse. The United States Congress calls it genocide -- the deliberate extermination of a people. In this case, the Arab Muslim government is waging war against black Muslim Darfuries. But it may take more than words and sanctions to bring about peace. The conflict pits the Sudanese government and its surrogate militia, the Janjaweed, against various Darfurie rebel groups. The Darfuries want greater autonomy from Khartoum and a share of the nation's oil wealth. So far, an estimated 200,000 people have perished. At least 2 million have been forced from their homes. Many have survived grueling journeys of 50, or 100 miles or more, seeking safe haven in refugee camps. Some have arrived only to discover danger still lurking in and around the camps. Egeland said, "We hear story after story of armed men attacking defenseless women and children, of women being raped now -- virtually every time they leave their camps to collect grass and firewood -- and now we even saw children who were intentionally shot at by militias who entered camps. It has to stop." As fighting intensified in late 2006, many humanitarian organizations temporarily withdrew their workers from Sudanese refugee camps. Dangerous conditions in neighboring Chad caused Mission Aviation Fellowship to withdraw most of its staff there. Relief workers with Operation Blessing International (OBI) chose to stay. OBI President Bill Horan says that the Christian Relief Organization is partnering with the German humanitarian group Humedica to bring much needed relief and medical assistance to the people of Darfur. He says that 100 OBI and Humedica workers are demonstrating Christian compassion through action. Horan said, "We are providing medical care, hygiene supplies. We've got a school now over there for the children in two of the camps. We are vaccinating the children, providing mid-wife services to prevent death during childbirth, and we're demonstrating Christian compassion in the face of all this, and with that we're fighting the war against suffering." The 7,000 under-equipped African union troops have been unable to stop the fighting in Darfur. The United Nations would like to send 22,000 of its peacekeepers in, but U.N. rules require an invitation from the Sudanese government. So far, Muslim Sudanese president Omar el Bashir has rejected that idea. He believes that Westerners want to get a foothold in Sudan to control the nation's oil resources. Jan Pronk, special U.N. representative for Sudan, rejects that charge. "We do not intend to recolonize, nor are we laying a carpet for others to do so," said Pronk. "We do not have a hidden agenda. Our only aim is to protect the people, while respecting the sovereignty of the Sudanese nation." Fresh from meetings with Chinese and Egyptian government officials, actors George Clooney and Don Cheadle suggested that nations viewed as less hostile by the Sudanese government pressure the regime to bring about a negotiated peace. Clooney said, "It requires the people who have economic and political interests in those countries pushing, nudging, slowly pushing people towards an agreement. " So for the suffering Darfuries, the new year begins much like the start of the previous one: many voices are calling for something to be done to stop the violence. With more death and suffering expected in the days ahead, compassionate Christians do what they can to save lives, and demonstrate the love of Christ.