November 17, 2004
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Don’t Forget Sudan!
International PoliticsAnother link I’d set aside to post about at some point was This BBC report about ’70,000 Darfur dead’ since March. That was in Mid October.
The trouble I’ve been having is what can we do about this situation? The UN is apparently impotent or uninterested. I’m a bit hesitant to say the US Calvary should go riding in as I’d like to see less of us invading other countries, not more.
But, one ethnic group is basically wiping out another ethnic group. Perhaps not with the same cold efficiency of the Nazis, but certainly with a similar degree of ruthlessness. The Sudanese government, if not directly involved, is certainly turning a blind eye to the atrocities.
Today, I checked the web log of a new subscriber, shygirlLuv, and found that she has quite a bit of information on the subject as well as some addresses to write requesting help for the Sudanese.
While I’m not convinced that the Sudanese government will respond to direct appeals – after all, they militias committing these crimes are pro-government, it is a place to start.
Unfortunately, I don’t think a global shunning as was used on South Africa to end apartheid is really the answer – South Africa had a great deal of wealth coming in from exports AND while many people died under apartheid, the time it would take to have an impact in this situation would have too great of a human toll.
The two most immediate things I can see to help are:
* Donate money to an aid organization to help the people in the refugee camps. I do not yet have any recommendations as to who the best options are.
* Write letters to the UN to appeal that they, at a minimum, support the AU with sufficient assistance to protect the refugee camps in Chad which come under attack by Sudanese militias. I do not yet have the best addresses to write.
If anyone has addresses or recommendations, please post them.
