Darfur Genocide
Conor Sullivan and Xavier Ardner
The War in Darfur or "Darfur Genocide"
Darfur is a country in Western Sudan, it was named after the Daju who migrated into that region. It was later named Dartunjur after the Tunjur began ruling the region. “Darfur” means land of the fur people who now live there. They are named Fur and are originally from Dar Fartit.
The genocide in Darfur began 1989, when General Omar Bashir took control of Sudan by a military coup. Through the fighting for political control weapons began appearing in Darfur which presented a larger conflict. In 2003 two Darfuri rebel movements named the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), took up arms against the Sudanese government. The Sudanese sent in Arab militias known as “Janjaweed” or commonly known as the “devils on Horseback”. These Janjaweeds were sent to kill hundreds of villages. Over 400 villages were destroyed and millions of people were forced to flee away from their homes. 480,000 people have been killed from 2003 to the present and the end of these mass killings is not seemed to be near. This conflict was also heightened by a scarcity of resources.
Tagalo Hassan was an eyewitness to these raids as he was three years old when these raids happened in his village. His dad had run away from him and his family and his mother had been torn apart and killed by a hail of bullets from the Janjaweed militias. He was shot in both legs and had many scrapes physically and emotionally. He was saved by an Italian Relief worker. About 400 people were killed in his village. This number is estimated because there were people still under the rubble from the attacks, that had not been found.
Celebrities in the United States have been drawing attention to this problem raising awareness and starting charities for these people in Darfur. Saving Darfur began to emerge more and more among people in the United States, and until recently the United States of America as of now will not be using military force to stop the genocide. “We” will only be doing peaceful protests to hopefully stop these mass killings.” Also as of today no survivors have been recorded in the United States.
History seems to repeat itself through the genocides that have been going on all around the world. In order to stop genocide we need people, like the government, not just of our nation but of all nations. People need to take some responsibility and take action toward this inhumane act of violence. Genocide usually happens for a lot of reasons hatred, discrimination, or having different values or beliefs than someone, etc. In order to stop genocide we need to address the causes of these conflicts. We need to help nations to become stronger to combat these conflicts when they do arise. Another idea that could help stop genocide is making other people aware of what is happening in these nations.
Fast Fact: These killings began in 2003 and sadly still continue today.
Janjaweed Militia.
UNAMID
Burning Villages
The End Of The Genocide?
Contact Information For Any Questions
Email: 18csullivan@calvertcatholic.org
Location: 163 Clinton Avenue, Tiffin, OH, United States
Phone: 567-207-5818
Facebook: facebook.com/xavierardner
Twitter: @xardner2