Darfur - Lost with no news

Dear Friends:

If we take a look around the world today and try to determine the most pressing issues that we face, we may have great difficulty in this process. From global warming and the unsettling future of the global economy to conflicts in the Middle East, Pakistan and Kenya, the world is a hot bed of unrest and from the direction we are heading it appears as if things are only going to get worse.

As we know, the US is heading for a disastrous recession which is already having a knock on effect on the global markets, with the major banking institutions having reported record breaking loses over the last two quarters.

The war in Iraq continues to drain US and British military and economic resources and the global standing of the US continues to deteriorate as the highly flawed mission in Iraq continues to consume the lives of innocent civilians and the young men and women of the armed services. The situation in Afghanistan is no better and the turmoil in Pakistan is bringing the country closer to civil war.

President Bush last week completed a major visit to the Middle East, which will ensure the strengthening of US-Mid East economic ties. These relationships will continue to grow strong based on the arms deals implemented between the US and the governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Mr. Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister is on the closing stages of his Far East visit which saw the British government enhance economic relationships between China and India.

Most people in the US seem to be consumed by the tabloid issues facing those in celebrity circles. Most recently we experienced the death of Heath Ledger, the young Australian-born actor who died on Monday night in Manhattan. There is great speculation as to the cause of his death. Also, over the last couple of months we have experienced the Brittany Speers saga. We have heard about Brittany’s younger sister who is expecting a baby sometime this year. We also had the “trauma” of Brittany locking herself in a bathroom with her terrified young son while she was on a cocktail of drugs and booze. Not only are these stories grabbing the headlines but the writer’s strike is up there too. There is now major concern regarding the Oscars and whether they will go ahead or not.

Who really cares about any of this? What impact does any of this have on our lives? The answer to the first question is apparently a lot of people because this kind of gossipy news tends to sell a lot of magazines and brings in large viewers to the news programs. The answer to the second question is a definitive “none.”

Ask anybody on the street what they think of the following and I am sure that they will look at you with a blank stare:

• The recent election victory of Mikhail Saakashvili that has increased hostilities between NATO and Russia, because of Mr. Saakashvilli’s wish for Georgia to join NATO.
• The effect that the global credit crunch, caused by the US sub-prime market collapse, has had on the global economy (Citigroup announced on 1/14/08 a loss of nearly $9.5 billion.)
• How President Kinaki of Kenya has brought a once “stable” of African democracies to the brink of civil war.
  

To reiterate there are many issues facing the world today, but one of the key issues that has gone silent and that has not gone away, is the conflict in Darfur. Earlier this month, the new UN-AU Hybrid Force was deployed to Darfur. In actual fact, the AU force that was already on the ground in Darfur just exchanged their green AU berets for the blue UN berets. The force currently numbers 9,000 troops and they have already been attacked by Sudanese ground forces. What is really telling is the fact that the Sudanese government continues to put hurdles in the deployment of further troop numbers by not agreeing to the deployment of non-African troops in the region – so why have they allow the deployment of a battalion of Chinese troops?

While the US and British governments have announced major trade agreements with the largest growing economies, specifically China and India, it is these countries and other new trade partners that are partially responsible for the growing situation in Darfur.

When all is said and done, the international community has gone silent on Darfur. Is this a conspiracy based on the new trade agreements recently executed? Maybe, but is global trade more important than a global commitment to respect human rights and to ensure that innocent men, women and children are not slaughtered?

What we know to date about the conflict in Darfur should be enough to implement a diplomatic assault on the Sudanese government but for some unknown reason nothing is been done to stop the quick progression of death in Darfur. The statistical data continues to change on a weekly basis with the following being reported:

• 600,000 related deaths since the conflict began nearly five years ago
• 2.5 million people displaced, living in refugee camps either in Darfur or in Chad or the Central Africa Republic
• 4.5 million people in dire need of both medical and food aid
• The mass rape and torture of women and young girls (some as young as four years of age)
• The withdrawal from Darfur of extensive NGO operations based on the continuing security issues
• The mass kidnapping of young boys to be used as child soldiers
• The total destruction of whole generations of Darfuri people
• The wall of silence of our global leaders

To make matters worse, the Sudanese government recently appointed Musa Hilal as an advisor to Abdel Basit Sabderat, the Sudanese Federal Affairs Minister. Mr. Hilal is the leader of the Janjaweed which has committed mass human rights abuses in Darfur and Mr. Hilal has been indicted by the International Criminal Court of war crimes. Mr. Hilal’s appointment has been seen by human rights groups not only as a slap in face to the victims of Darfur but also to the UN.

It has also been reported that the number of hijackings of critical aid conveys in Darfur has increased whereby the NGOs on the ground in Darfur estimate that further lives will be lost due to these hijackings. So far this year, 22 trucks have been hijacked and 18 drivers have gone missing. There has also been a huge increase in the number of violent attacks on other convey personnel. The trucking companies contracted by the UN and other organizations to deliver the much needed aid are now refusing to send any more personnel or provide any more trucks for the mission in Darfur until security is beefed up. The current situation in Darfur has seen the near depletion of ration stores in some camps and it has been reported that if action is not taken soon to secure the aid convoys, thousands of lives will be placed in great danger, especially in the lead up to the rainy season which starts in May.

On Monday, January 21st, we celebrated the life of one of the most globally influential men of the 20th century, the Rev’d Dr. King. People from around the world are familiar with the words “I had a dream,” in the famous speech given by Dr. King. Unfortunately, a lot of people in Darfur are living a dream, one which could be classified a nightmare and one from which most will never wake from, unless we all find the courage to do something about it.

The International Alliance For Human Rights, together with Hope for Humanity Alliance International have set the plans in motion for the biggest concert event ever held to enhance global awareness of the conflict in Darfur. We will call on the international community to be more proactive in bringing about a cessation of violence in Darfur. We must not allow the world to forget what is happening in Darfur but most importantly the international community must answer the cry for help that they have so far failed to hear.

For more information on the Voices of Hope Concert for Darfur and how you can help us, please send an email to dnolan@iafhr.org or call 212.695. 7022, ext. 315.