Darfur Genocide: Lack of Involvement by Government and International Community

An Alternate History of the Genocide in Darfur

Sudan is a beautiful and diverse area with hundreds of different cultures throughout its regions, but it has many core issues. The United Nation’s Human Development Index currently ranks Sudan 167th out of 180 countries, using factors like life expectancy, literacy, and average income (“Sudan – Human Development Report’). Darfur is a western region where a majority of people are either indigenous Christian Africans or Islamic Arabs. Tensions run high due to various economic and political issues, spawning opposition groups and pro-government militias.

These groups battled for years, resulting in a genocide that took the lives of many people. This genocide could have been prevented with a reformed government, sustained resources, and UN intervention.

The government around the time of the genocide was led by President Omar Hassan al Bashir, who came to power as a part of the National Islamic Front in 1989. He immediately began to limit freedoms and interaction within the government, dissolving parliament and banning all political parties (Violence in Darfur, Sudan’, 3).

Since his rule has been heavily criticized by those vouching for peace. It seemed to the international community that he was pursuing an ‘aggressive Islamic agenda’, and in the 1990s an alliance of neighboring countries began to attempt to limit NIF’s influence in the area. There are suspicions that the government supports violent militia groups, like the Janjaweed, who have orchestrated most of the attacks (“Violence in Darfur, Sudan’,4). With a government actively working against its people in favor of one group, the Sudanese people – especially native Africans – have little faith that peace will come.

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A major part of the genocide was in the hands of the government, which was in dire need of reformation.

The attacks and violence in the area not only threaten those involved but resources as well. Anything from food to water became a part of a political agenda. Original plans for uniting the territories of indigenous Africans and Islamic Arabs went awry when Sudan claimed independence in 1956, with many civil wars for control of the central government to follow (“Violence in Darfur, Sudan’, 2). These wars did not improve the economy, and many were displeased with the high levels of poverty and lack of infrastructure. The Janjaweed began intentionally poisoning water supplies and burning crops in bio-attacks intended to make conditions worse. By 2007 UN officials estimated that more than 200,000 people had been killed in the conflict through violence, starvation, and disease (‘Fact Sheet: The United Nations and Darfur’, 1). With these new tactics, both African and Arab farmers were put in danger.

With sustained resources and aid for the sick, these attacks would have been far less effective, saving many lives.

Despite knowing of the violent attacks in Darfur, the international community did not get involved until thousands had already died. The presence of peacekeepers was minimal for years mostly due to legality. In late 2004, troops from the African Union were sent as a small standing guard. Unfortunately, the force was not physically prepared to deal with the amount of violence in such a large region (‘Violence in Darfur, Sudan’, 5). Though a valiant effort, it was not enough and soon led to criticism of the lack of aid from the UN. By early 2005, the United Nations released reports clarifying that “Generally speaking the policy of attacking, killing, and forcibly displacing members of some tribes does not evince a specific intent to annihilate, in whole or in part, a group distinguished on racial, ethnic, national or religious grounds,” (“Have Acts of Genocide Occurred?’, 4). The use of this legal definition of genocide left room for a very little action for the people of Darfur. Had the UN and international community found grounds to intervene, much of the destruction would have been avoided.

The attacks in Darfur could have been remedied with more direct action from the government and the international community. If there had been more resources available to the people and victims, so much of the destruction, starvation, and violence would not have occurred. Mistakes like these can not be taken lightly, and need to be used as examples in changing the process of intervention and prevention of genocide.

Works Cited

1. Grasek, Susan. “Violence in Darfur, Sudan.” Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University, 2006. PDF file.
2. “Have Acts of Genocide Occurred?” Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the United Nations Secretary-General. Geneva. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations, 2005. 4. Print.
3. “Sudan – Human Development Report.” Human Development Reports. United Nations Development Programme, n.d. Web. 4 May 2016.
4. “Fact Sheet: The United Nations and Darfur.” The United Nations. Peace and Security Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information. The United Nations, Aug. 2007. PDF. 4 May 2016