Applied Research
Genocide
Darfur
Letter to the Editor: Has Anything Changed in Darfur?
May 15, 2006
From: Paul Slovic
To: The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Letter to the editor:
Has anything changed in Darfur?
President Bush last week heralded the peace agreement between the genocidal regime in Khartoum, Sudan and one of three rebel groups in Darfur as the beginning of hope for the people of Darfur. But the agreement upon which the lives of millions depends may be little more then a cruel delusion in which the victims of genocide are being asked, in essence, to trust that the perpetrators of that genocide will disarm and restrain themselves. Past promises by Khartoum to disarm the murderous Janjaweed militias have proved worthless and, one week into the new agreement, rape and murder of innocent Darfuri villagers continues. One of the most knowledgeable observers of the genocide in Darfur, Eric Reeves (www.sudanreeves.org), puts the odds for effective humanitarian intervention or even meaningful peacekeeping efforts there as "obscenely long." In the face of obstructive efforts by China, Russia, and other African nations, Reeves concludes "Those expecting that the UN will take urgent and robust action... to stop the genocide..., will wait in vain." The death toll, currently estimated at 7,000 per month, is expected to rise sharply due to decreased allocations of food and continuing violent attacks. Yet the regime in Khartoum sits on a national food stockpile of up to 500,000 metric tons of grain. Instead of releasing this grain for humanitarian purposes, Khartoum keeps the prices artificially high, making it impossible for the UN world food program to purchase food in-country. Amidst this overwhelming crisis, the US continues to grant favors to perpetrators of genocide such as Ali Ahmad Karti, now in this country on an extended personal visa even as he is likely under indictment by the International Criminal Court for crimes in Darfur. The bottom line: Don't be lulled into complacency by the so-called "peace agreement." The crisis in Darfur keeps escalating. In the absence of any likely response by the UN or NATO, we must demand, as a minimum, that the Bush administration provide money and equipment in support of a stepped-up effort by the African Union to provide necessary security in Darfur.
Paul Slovic