[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Africa Action commentaries & resources on
genocide in Darfur
Alfred Kagan
akagan at uiuc.edu
Fri Aug 6 08:37:44 CDT 2004
>Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 18:41:21 -0500
>From: Africa Action <africaaction at igc.org>
>Organization: Africa Action
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>To: ejlist at africaaction.org
>CC: milkah at africaaction.org, petra at africaaction.org
>Subject: Africa Action commentaries & resources on genocide in Darfur
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>
>Dear Friends
>
>Please find below three recently-published pieces from Africa Action
>on the genocide in Darfur: (1) A commentary published in The Nation
>on June 25; (2) A commentary published by Foreign Policy in Focus
>today; and (3) A set of talking points prepared in advance of the
>Congressional Black Caucus' meeting with Secretary of State Powell
>at the end of July.
>
>We have been very active in recent weeks in promoting an urgent U.S.
>response to the genocide in Darfur, and we have had some important
>successes. We gathered more than 28,000 signatures for our petition
>to Secretary Powell, and this was delivered to him by the
>Congressional Black Caucus on our behalf. We also played a part in
>the passage of historic resolutions in Congress two weeks ago,
>unanimously declaring what is taking place in Darfur to be
>"genocide."
>
>But we still have a lot of work to do. We are continuing to work
>with activists across the country to keep the media spotlight on the
>crisis in Darfur and to keep the pressure on U.S. policymakers to do
>more. We appreciate your support, and we urge you to visit our
>website regularly for updates and to get involved with our efforts.
>
>The struggle continues,
>
>Africa Action
>
>* Visit <http://www.africaaction.org>http://www.africaaction.org
>for more information and analysis on the crisis in Darfur. We have
>also recently updated three of our country pages in the "Resources
>and Information" section of our site, adding new analysis and links.
>Thanks to our summer intern, Milkah Kihunah, for her great work on
>this project.
>
>----
>(1) Genocide in Darfur
>
>By SALIH BOOKER & ANN-LOUISE COLGAN
>
>[From the July 12, 2004 issue of The Nation]
>
>Ten years after Rwanda, genocide is unfolding again while the world
>watches and refuses to say its name. The failure of the United
>States and the international community to act in Rwanda a decade ago
>cost 800,000 lives. Now, up to 1 million people face a similar fate
>in Darfur, western Sudan, as a result of an ongoing government
>campaign to destroy a portion of its population. What is happening
>in Darfur is genocide, and must be called that. The term "genocide"
>not only captures the fundamental characteristics of the Khartoum
>government's intent and actions, it also invokes clear international
>obligations.
>
>Yet, as horrifying reports continue to emerge, and as a humanitarian
>emergency grows, there is no indication that the United States or
>the United Nations is prepared to intervene-despite promises of
>"never again" and explicit obligations under the 1948 Convention on
>Genocide. For more than a year, the Khartoum government has
>systematically obstructed access to Darfur and blocked international
>efforts to establish a relief program. More recently, it has failed
>to honor the cease-fire it signed in April. As a result, Darfur now
>faces the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with 30,000 people
>already killed and more than a million internally displaced.
>International aid agencies say that even if humanitarian relief
>arrives now, 350,000 people may still die.
>
>Sudan, geographically Africa's largest country, has experienced
>civil war with only a ten-year pause since independence in 1956.
>More than 2 million people have been killed and twice that many
>displaced in the long-running war between successive governments of
>the north and peoples of the south. Recent progress toward peace has
>brought hope that this troubled history will finally come to a
>close, but the growing crisis in Darfur, which began last year,
>casts a dark shadow. In Darfur, the Sudanese government is
>destroying African Muslim communities because some among them have
>challenged Khartoum's authoritarian rule. As in the conflict between
>north and south, in Darfur ethnic and racial identities have also
>been part of the conflict. But at its heart is a repressive minority
>Arab-centric regime in Khartoum that rules by force, cannot even
>claim to represent a majority of northerners and has relied on
>religious fundamentalism to maintain its power.
>
>Ironically, the international community's unwillingness to intervene
>results - at least in part - from concern that a fragile peace deal
>between north and south will be jeopardized. Across several
>administrations, the United States has been involved in promoting
>peace in Sudan, and the Bush Administration is eager to claim credit
>for its diplomatic efforts. But as long as the Sudanese government
>is waging a genocidal war in Darfur, the United States cannot
>pretend that a meaningful peace deal can be achieved. The
>Administration had hoped that such an agreement would allow it to
>lift sanctions on Sudan. This, in turn, would permit US oil
>companies to pursue a share of the country's recently developed oil
>wealth. Such interests, however, cannot be allowed to compromise a
>larger moral obligation.
>
>< s arties o he
> enocide
> onvention, ll ermanent embers f he N ecurity ouncil, ncluding
> he
> nited tates nd ore han 30 ountries orldwide, re ound o
> revent nd
> unish enocide. he onvention ames enocide s rime n
> nternational aw,
> escribing t s he ommission f cts ith
> intent o estroy, n hole r n art, ational, thnical, acial
> r
> eligious roup."< he ecurity ouncil
> ontinues o
> esitate n arfur, argely ecause f he conomic nd iplomatic
> nterests f
> ts ermanent embers, ho on't ish o ntagonize hartoum. hether
> he N
> an e purred o ction ill epend argely n he nited tates, nd
> ashington as n bligation o ct. ne eason s ts reaty
> bligations nder
> he enocide onvention. nother s ts nvolvement n udan's eace
> rocess,
> upported y n clectic omestic onstituency, ncluding roups
> anging rom
> he vangelical ight o he ongressional lack aucus. hird s he
> nique
> S ntelligence apacity o rack ilitia ctivity n arfur s ell s
> he
> ovements f he isplaced. inally, t as ,800 roops n earby
> jibouti,
> ome f hom ould e obilized uickly o ead ultinational orce
> o ecure
> he egion, o acilitate umanitarian ssistance nd o nforce he
> ease-fire
> ntil N eacekeeping orce an e ssembled.< hen eorge . ush
> osted he
> -8 ummit n une, he eaders f he orld's ichest nd ost
> owerful
> ountries erely rged he overnment f udan o isarm he ilitias.
> ere
> his ragedy nfolding n urope, heir ummit ould ave ocused n
> ittle ther
> han ntervention. nless here s n mmediate ilitary ntervention
> n
> arfur, p o illion eople ould ie his ear. e hould ave
> earned rom
> wanda hat o top enocide, ashington ust irst ay he ord.< alih
> ooker s xecutive irector nd nn-Louise
> olgan s ssistant irector or olicy nalysis nd ommunications t
> frica
> ction, he ldest frica dvocacy roup n he nited tates.
>----< 2) hen ntervention s ecessary, ho
> an ou all?< y alih ooker*< oreign olicy n ocus August ,
>004)< enocide
> s nique rime
> gainst umanity. his rime s urrently nfolding n arfur, estern
> udan,
> s he orld ooks n. et, ven s ressure rows rom any uarters
> including ongress) or .S. eadership egarding arfur, any
> rogressives
> nd eople sually oncerned bout ocial ustice eel hat .S.-led
> ntervention s he rong nswer. hey xpress oncern bout egative
> istorical recedents, bout xploitative .S. otivations, nd bout
> he
> urrent ack f .S. redibility n he nternational tage. hese re
> ll
> efensible rguments. ut o hey ender .S. eadership n mpossible
> ption
> n he ase f enocide?< t he
> eart f he ebate
> s he uestion f hether e #8211; rogressives #8211; elieve
>hat .S. ower
> an e
> sed or ood n frica r lsewhere n ases f ass illings nd
> ther rimes
> gainst umanity? his s road uestion, ut he arnage n udan
> resents
> n mmediate eed o nswer t.< illions
> f eople re ow
> t isk n arfur s esult f overnment-sponsored #8220;scorched
> arth”
> ampaign hat egan ast ear. ens f housands ave lready een
> illed, nd
> ore han illion isplaced eople ow ace hat he nited ations
> alls he
> orst umanitarian risis n he orld. he .S. dministration nd
> ther
> overnments re efusing o se he ord #8220;genocide” o
>escribe he
> ituation,
> ware hat t ould ompel ction nder he enocide onvention.< n
> arfur, here s ne
> mmediate riority: topping he illing nd ecuring ife-saving
> elief or
> early illion arfurians. o o his, he nternational ommunity
> ust ake
> undamental hoice. t an ither llow he overnment f udan, he
> uthor
> f his enocide, o etermine ow nd hen o nd t nd hat
> umanitarian id
> o llow hrough, r t an uthorize n nternational ntervention o
> rovide
> rotection nd ecurity o he eople f arfur.< N
> peration annot e
> ssembled uickly nough. t akes bout hree onths o ut
> eacekeeping
> orce ogether ven nder he est f ircumstances, nd ountless
> arfurians
> ould erish n he ntervening eriod. n he mmediate erm,
> ultinational
> orce f irst esponders ust top he enocide nd acilitate n
> rgent
> umanitarian ffort ntil he N an ake ver.< egardless
> f he ature f
> he urrent eadership n ashington, he nited tates as lear
> bligations
> nd nique apabilities o ake he ead. he nited tates s
> ermanent
> ember f he N ecurity ouncil nd he ost owerful ountry n he
> orld,
> nd t an mpel nternational ction n his risis. t s mong he
> 35
> ignatories o he enocide onvention, hich inds t o revent nd
> unish
> hat rime. t as n ncomparable ilitary apacity o ransfer roops
> nd
> upplies nd o rovide ogistical upport. ts nique atellite
> ntelligence
> trengths llow t o rack he ctivities f oth udanese overnment
> orces
> nd ilitias n arfur s ell s he ovements f he isplaced. he
> nited
> tates lso as early ,000 roops ocated ust ours rom arfur n
> jibouti,
> everal undred f hich ould e uickly obilized nto ction.< he N
> ecurity ouncil
> ill ot ct ithout .S. eadership. he ecurity ouncil ontinues o
> esitate n arfur, argely ecause f he conomic nd iplomatic
> nterests f
> ts ermanent embers, ho on’t ish o ntagonize hartoum. ut
> nless
> ember f he ecurity ouncil nsists hat his s enocide nd
> emands hat
> he ouncil ddress he atter, he frican nion nd udan’s frican
> eighbors
> ill e eft o ear he runt f his rowing umanitarian atastrophe
> ithout
> dequate esources o top t. nd hey ill ikely e lamed or
> ailing o
> ct ufficiently nd n ime o ave undreds f housands f ives.
> .S.
> itizens nd .S.-based dvocacy roups ave he esponsibility o
> ocus n
> ashington’s ole n esponding o his risis.< f he
> nited tates eads,
> any frican nd uropean ations re ikely o oin n. everal earby
> frican
> tates ncluding thiopia, ganda nd wanda, re arties o he
> enocide
> onvention. ther ey frican ations, uch s outh frica nd
> igeria, re
> ikely o ontribute o n ntervention orce. ritain as eclared ts
> reparedness o end roops lso. nder .S. eadership,
> ultinational
> ission ould uickly ut oots n he round o top he enocide n
> arfur.
> n his ontext, oncerns ver he ultural nsensitivity f he .S.
> ilitary
> ould e itigated.< t s
> rue hat he .S.
> ole n raq ndermines ashington’s nternational tanding nd
> omplicates ts
> eadership bilities lsewhere. he hartoum overnment as een uick
> o
> anipulate his act, laiming he nited tates ants o nvade
> nother rab
> tate or ts wn mperialistic easons. t s lso rue hat he
> istory f
> .S. ntervention n he orld as argely een egative, nd owhere
> s his
> ore vident han n he frican ontinent, o estabilized y old ar
> eopolitics. nd lthough arfur ay ot e n rea f mmediate
> trategic
> nterest, udan as onsiderable il ealth hat .S. ompanies re
> ager o
> ursue.< hese
> ealities ay ppear
> o eaken he rgument or .S.-led ntervention n arfur. ut t
> ould e
> ruel rony f he eople f arfur ere o ecome he
> ltimate ictims f he .S. ar n raq nd revious nited tates
> isadventures. n egal nd oral erms, n ntervention o top
> enocide as
> nique ustification, nd t ffers n pportunity or ashington
> oth o
> eek ultilateral olution o n nternational risis nd o phold
> nternational aw ather han rampling n t.This s oment hen he
> nited
> tates an se ts olitical nd ilitary ight or ood, o ave
> illions f
> ives.< his
> ay ound dealistic,
> nd his rgument oes ot eek o iscount he olitical limate n
> he nited
> tates nd he eluctance f he urrent dministration o et nvolved
> n uch
> n ffort. indful f his nertia, t s he esponsibility f
> rogressive
> mericans o nsure hat he nited tates espects nd pholds
> nternational
> aw.<nbsp; ustice dvocates hould onsider
> his ssue s f hey ere n ower nd sk ow o se merica’s ight
> nd
> esources o ood ffect. ctivists ust eek o lavor<nbsp;
> ublic iscourse o romote ollaborative
> esponses o olitical, an-made, nd umanitarian rises. nd enocide
> hould
> e t he op f hat ist f rises.< en
> ears fter he
> enocide n wanda, e annot fford o epeat he ame istakes. f e
> on’t
> ct ow, hen ill e ver ct? f e on’t ave pecial nd lear-cut
> bligations
> n he ase f enocide, hen o e? ur irst esponsibility s o he
> eople
> f arfur, ho re ow ying t ate f ,000 eople very ay s he
> enocide ontinues. ur mmediate mphasis ust e n topping his
> iolence.
> he nited tates as nique apacity o uickly obilize
> ultinational
> ffort o nd he enocide n arfur. e ust emand o ess.< alih
> ooker s xecutive
> irector f frica ction, nd oard ember f oth he
> nterhemispheric esource enter nd oreign
> olicy n ocus.< ---< 3) frica ction alking oints n
> enocide n arfur< repared n dvance f he ongressional lack
> aucus’ eeting ith ecretary owell July 0, 004)<
>. hat s appening n arfur s
>ENOCIDE, nd he SG ust all
> t y hat ame he egal efinition f
>ENOCIDE: he nternational egal
> efinition f he rime f enocide s ound n rticles I nd II f
> he 948 onvention n he revention nd unishment f enocide.
> rticle I escribes he wo lements hat onstitute he rime f
> enocide: . he ental lement, eaning he
>intent o estroy, n hole r
> n art, ational, thnic, acial r eligious roup, s uch",
>nd< . he hysical lement hich ncludes ive
>ypes f iolence
> escribed n ections a] hough e] s ollows: nbsp;
>nbsp; a] illing embers f he roup; b] ausing
>erious odily r
> ental arm o embers f he roup; c] eliberately nflicting n he
> roup onditions f ife alculated o ring bout ts hysical
> estruction n hole r n art; d] mposing easures ntended o
> revent irths ithin he roup; e] orcibly ransferring hildren f
> he roup o nother roup.< nbsp;< ENOCIDE s aking lace
>n arfur: he ntent f he udanese
> overnment o estroy, n hole r n art, hree frican thnic
> ommunities the ur, aghawa nd assaleit), s lear rom udanese
> overnment ocumentary vidence s eported y uman ights atch.
> oreover, nternational egal recedent olds hat enocidal ntent an
> e nferred rom he ontext f he erpetration f ulpable cts hen
> hey re ystematically irected gainst roup. n arfur
>uring he ast ear nd alf, he hysical cts f
> iolence ave ncluded ll ive ypes isted n he onvention: a]
> 0,000 eople illed y overnment orces nd ilitias; b] iolence
> nd ental arm f amilies f he housands f omen nd oung irls
> aped y oldiers nd ilitias; c] he estruction f omes, rops,
> ater esources nd he hysical isplacement f ne illion eople ow
> nternally isplaced n udan nd 00,000 efugees orced nto had
> hich as esulted n onditions esigned o ring bout heir
> estruction hrough mpending amine nd isease pidemics; d] he
> illing f regnant omen; nd e] he se f ape s eapon f
> enocide. his enocide as argely een arried ut nder loak f
> ilence, s he udanese overnment arred ntry o he egion o
> ournalists, uman ights roups nd umanitarian id roups.
> hy he SG ust all his ENOCIDE: s arties o he
>enocide
> onvention, ll ermanent embers f he N ecurity ouncil
> ncluding he .S. nd ore han 30 ountries orldwide, re ound
> o revent, top nd unish enocide. enocide s nique rime
> gainst umanity n nternational aw. ec. owell aid n
>udan, We
> an ind he ight abel or t ater. e ave o eal ith t ow."
> ut ow e eal ith t nd he udanese overnment s etermined y
> hat e ecognize his risis o e nd ho e ecognize o e
> esponsible or t. y ecognizing hat s appening n arfur s
> enocide e ncrease ur oral nd egal bligations o top t nd
> unish hose esponsible, nd e ecognize hat he udanese overnment
> s esponsible.< . he umanitarian risis<
>nbsp; enocide n arfur as reated he orst
>umanitarian risis n he
> orld oday, nd t s etting orse: he ainy eason as tarted n
> arfur. amps or isplaced eople nd efugees re looded nd oads
> re isappearing, endering umanitarian fforts ore rgent nd
> omplex. here s hortage f ood nd helter,
>nd here re eal
> ears f assive utbreaks f holera nd ther iseases. t s ow
> stimated hat ,000 eople re lready ying very ay n arfur s
> esult f hese onditions.< he hartoum overnment annot
>e rusted o ddress he
> umanitarian risis: or ore han ear, he hartoum overnment as
> ystematically bstructed utside ccess o arfur nd locked
> nternational fforts o stablish elief ampaign. t as enied
> he xistence f umanitarian risis ltogether. he overnment f
> udan s he uthor f he ngoing enocide n arfur, f hich he
> urrent umanitarian risis s ut art, nd t annot e rusted o
> rovide ecurity o umanitarian perations here.
>ecurity s ssential or umanitarian fforts: dequate
> umanitarian ssistance annot e rovided o ulnerable nd isplaced
> roups n arfur ithout ilitary rotection. ultinational
> ntervention s ecessary o rovide ecurity nd ogistical upport o
> rgent umanitarian fforts. ithout t, n stimated 50,000 o ne
> illion eople ill ie his ear.< . nbsp; he nited
>tates hould ead n mmediate ilitary ntervention
> n arfur< nbsp; nless here s apid
>ntervention n arfur, p o illion
> eople ould ie his ear: he nited tates hould ffer o nitiate
> ultinational orce o ntervene n arfur, ed y everal undred
> .S. roops. deally, nited ations eacekeeping peration ould
> ulfill his ole, ut hat ould ake onths o ssemble, nd
> ountless ives ould e ost n he ntervening eriod. he .S.
> hould tep orward nd ead n mmediate ntervention long ith
> frican nd uropean orces.< he .S. as nique apacity
>nd lear bligations o ct o
> ecure he egion ntil uch ime s n fficial N eacekeeping orce
> an e ssembled: 1) he .S. as oral bligation s ignatory o
> he enocide onvention o revent nd unish enocide. 2) he .S.
> as nique ntelligence apacities hat llow t o rack he
> overnment orces’ nd ilitias’ ctivities n arfur s
>ell s he
> ovements f he isplaced. 3) he .S. as lmost ,000 roops n
> earby jibouti, everal undred f hich ould e obilized uickly o
> ead ultinational orce. 4) he .S. as he reatest apacity n
> he orld o ransport roops nd upplies o arfur uch s roops
> rom ther frican ountries, hile sking he uropean nion o o he
> ame< nbsp; n ntervention ould erve hree ritical
>urposes: 1) top he
> illings, apes nd illaging n arfur; 2) rovide ecurity or
> umanitarian ssistance rograms or isplaced eople nd efugees; nd
> 3) nforce he frican nion ease-fire etween he hartoum
> overnment nd he wo ebel roups n arfur the LA nd EM), o
> llow olitical egotiations o ove orward.< nbsp;
>. nbsp; hat he .S. hould o t he nited
>ations nbsp; he nited ations ecurity
>ouncil ill ot ct ithout .S.
> eadership: he N ecurity ouncil ontinues o esitate n arfur,
> argely ecause f he conomic nd iplomatic nterests f ts
> ermanent embers, ho on’t ish o ntagonize hartoum. any NSC
> ember tates re lso keptical bout .S. ntentions iven ts
> n-sanctioned ntervention n raq. ut nless ember f he
> ecurity ouncil nsists hat his s enocide nd emands hat he
> ouncil ddress he atter, he frican nion nd udan’s frican
> eighbors ill e eft o ear he runt f his rowing umanitarian
> atastrophe ithout dequate esources o top t, nd ill ikely e
> lamed or ailing o ct ufficiently nd n ime o ave undreds f
> housands f ives. he .S. hould eek N uthorization
>or .S.-led ultinational
> ntervention. f he .S. eads, any frican nd uropean ations re
> ikely o oin n. nder .S. eadership, nd ith .S. inancial nd
> ogistical upport, ultinational ission ould uickly ut oots n
> he round o top he enocide n arfur.< ###< frica ction 634
>ye treet W, 810
> ashington, C 0006
> el: 02-546 961 ttp://www.africaaction.org<
--
Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA
tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu
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