With all of the countless injustices going on around the world today, it’s easy to brush it all aside and dismiss it as someone else’s business. But there is an atrocity happening in Darfur, Sudan, that must be stopped now. 400,000 men, women and children have been killed in Darfur. Millions of people have been forced from their homes and face starvation, rape and the constant threat of violence.
International aid is trying to help the millions of displaced civilians but government-backed militia continues to attack civilian populations. The U.N. has already declared the genocide in Darfur to be the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. However, despite past efforts from the U.N., the Sudanese government’s regular armed forces and the Janjaweed are still active and free to commit genocidal crimes against civilians in Darfur.
With all of these devastating facts bombarding the frail bubble, what can we do in the U.S.? As students, the first step towards ending the violence in Darfur is by acknowledging the reality of the situation. Find out more background by going to http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/background.
Let your politicians know that the government should take initiative towards negotiating an international peacekeeping intervention.
Students have been historically powerful forces when we band together. Let us remember Rwanda by defending Darfur and raising our voices.
Jacqueline Chan
Microbiology junior