Talk, talk and more talk while people of Darfur die
June 25th, 2007 by ashish
Since 2003, when local rebels took up arms against the Sudanese government, it responded in a bloody way, unleashing an arab militia known as the janjaweed. The Sudanese government denies supporting this militia, but it must be the only one that believes in this statement. These militia raid villages in the rebel zone, raping, killing and maiming civilians, including women and children.
The number of people killed in these attacks are not a few hundred, there are more than 200,000 innocent people who have died in Darfur, and 2.5 million refugees now live in wretched conditions in neighboring countries. And what does the world do? It talks, and talks. And why, because Sudan in rich in oil, and another dictatorial government, the Chinese government will support it for concessions.
So, we have statements by important political leaders such as Condy Rice, by the leaders of the western Europe, but still the killing goes on. People still live and die as refugees. When the genocide in Kosovo took place, when the genocide in Rwanda took place, the world stated that this would not happen again. Well, it is happening again, and we know there are meetings to resolve these issues:
Sudan was not invited to the one-day Paris conference, organized by a new French government that has made the four-year conflict in Darfur a top priority. The meetings come after Sudan agreed — under international pressure — to allow the deployment of a joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force in the region.
“I have seen firsthand the devastation and the difficult circumstances in which people live in Darfur, and I will be very frank,” Rice said after meeting Kouchner in Paris. “I do not think that the international community has really lived up to its responsibilities there.”
French officials said they hope to mobilize the international community at what they called a “pivotal moment,” following the Sudanese government’s agreement earlier this month to allow the deployment of a joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force in the region.
The United Nations cannot do anything because China is looking for its energy security, and Sudan is a seen as a good source, no matter what the human rights conditions over there. Well, that’s okay, China is not famous for its adherence to human rights and concern over the rights of refugees. However, China is very conscious of its international image, and with the 2008 Olympics coming up, it has been more ready to put pressure on Sudan so that the Olympics don’t see anti-Chinese protests.
