catapult magazine

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/24/opinion/24KRIS.html?hp

This is the sort of thing that happens on the fringes of civilization. Non-oil-producing Africa is not a “strategic interest” so this generally gets ignored. What a tragedy it would be if we wake up in 5 years to find that all blacks in Sudan have fled or been slaughtered. It’s a very real possibility by the sounds of it.

i’ve been studying far too much violence this semester, so i might be more sensitive about this sort of thing than most (though that in and of itself seems wrong). i literally felt sick in the pit of my stomach when i saw the title of your post. the story just made it worse . . .

Yeah, and then I read in my Amnesty International magazine about widespread rape and killing of civilians by soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is little justice there, and one fifty year old woman who is a rape victim has been persistantly accusing those in power. Miraculously, she has not been killed yet.

And I guess I understand that we (the USA) usually rely on dipolmacy first, and military force when we percieve there is no other option (or our business interests are threatened). I know too that there is a lot of diplomacy that goes on that doesn’t make the news. But it still frustrates me.

I am happy to report that the US is taking action in the Sudan, despite the fact that non-oil-producing Africa is not a strategic interest. A couple weeks ago President Bush sent Secretary of State Colin Powell to assess the situation and bring an end to the genocide. Powell anticipates a report from analysts in the Sudan. Part of the report will include a judgment on whether the mass killings in the Sudan qualify as genocide or not.

Powell also said that ample humanitarian aid is available to care for the needs of the oppressed, but Bashir’s government is not cooperating. The UN apparently still grants Bashir veto power over when, where, and how aid is distributed. Once again, international humanitarian aid is available; the particular government’s interference with distribution of it is the problem.

Here’s an article with more information. http://www.religionjournal.com/showarticle.asp?id=1578