aquila
08-04-2004, 09:39 AM
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. On April 6, 1994, after the plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, Juvenal Habriyamana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, was shot down over Kigali, leaders of the Hutu militia immediately placed the blame on Tutsi rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). They also incited widespread violence against ethnic Tutsis all over Rwanda.
Historically, Hutus and Tutsis have lived together amidst intermittent ethnic violence. Tutsis, a minority ethnic group, were overall better educated and wealthier because in 1916, Belgians arrived at the region and granted them preferential treatment. Belgians believed that Tutsis were racially superior to Hutus because their tall frames and sharp noses resembled Europeans more. This favoritism caused widespread dissatisfaction among Hutus for many years. In the waves of decolonization that swept Africa in the 1950s and ?60s, the Belgians switched their allegiance to the Hutus because the Tutsis were demanding greater independence. In a violent uprising, the country was handed over to the Hutu majority and Rwanda was declared a republic in 1961. From then on, Tutsis were barred from taking part in Rwanda?s political life until 1994. Amidst international pressure, negotiations to allow Tutsis greater involvement in politics began. The Hutu leaders who were afraid of losing power then started blaming Tutsis for Hutus? poor quality of life in order to incite a wave of violence against the Tutsis.
In the next four months after the plane crash, the Hutu interahamwe went on a massive killing spree and orchestrated the fastest genocide in the record of human history ? an estimated 800,000 Tutsis were killed in four months by the time the bloodshed ended in September 1994. During this time, despite the pledge to ?never again? let such human tragedies happen after the Holocaust, the United States and the rest of the world watched from the sides and did almost nothing to stop the massacres from taking place.
In Sudan today, another genocide is unfolding. The displacements and killings of African Muslims there are chillingly, reminiscent of the events in Rwanda exactly a decade ago. Human Rights Watch released a report last Friday, accusing the Sudanese government of backing Arab militias who are committing crimes against humanity in Darfur. The report, ?Darfur in Flames: Atrocities in Western Sudan,? describes a scorched earth campaign that targets civilians of non-Arab descent. In the past year, nearly one million civilians of the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in this western region of Sudan have been systematically uprooted from their villages, looted, raped and killed.
For decades, the Arab and African communities in Darfur have sporadically fought over land and other scarce resources. However, the current conflict really began 14 months ago when two new rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), pressured the Sudanese government to stop arming Arab groups in Darfur and solve developmental inequalities in the region.
In response, the government recruited over 20,000 militiamen of Arab descent known as janjaweed to attack civilians from the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups. Aided by the new militias, the government initiated a massive bombing campaign, which have displaced more than 800,000 people and forced another 110,000 people into neighboring Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world. To date, government forces and militias have killed several thousand Fur, Zaghawa and Masaalit civilians, routinely raped women and girls, kidnapped children and looted tens of thousands of head of cattle and other property. In an achingly familiar scene in many areas of Darfur, they have purposefully burned hundreds of villages and decimated water sources and other infrastructure, making it virtually impossible for former villagers to return.
What can I do? ? you wonder. After all, we are mere college students, not policy makers who are capable of sending troops into Sudan or applying pressure on the Sudanese government so that they will stop the bloodshed. However, if you still believe in the ideals of fighting injustice and protecting innocent lives, these are a few practical steps that you can take to make a difference:
1) Write a letter to your state representative or better yet to the President, urging the United States government to act swiftly against the killings. For us Malaysians, we can also write letters to Dato Abdullah Badawi and urge him to bring up the matter during OIC meetings since Sudan is an OIC member. If Bosnian Muslims' death caused such an uproar in malaysia in the past, I don't see why the Sudanese African Muslims should not be protected as well. (You see, I'm being practical here. Judging at the way Msian politicians have responded to HR abuses in the past, I feel like they only care when Muslims are killed. I'm sorry this may hurt but it is a fact.) You may also want to write to Kofi Annan and urge UN to deploy peacekeepers to Sudan immediately. For directions on how to write a letter to public officials, go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/activist_toolkit/print/letter_guide.pdf
2) The next time a politician gives a talk at your university (Sen. Richard Lugar comes to mind), ask him or her why the US government is doing nothing to stop the genocide in Sudan.
3) Launch a demonstration, or a campus-wide vigil to remember the victims of the Sudanese genocide. Get the attention of the press.
4) Attend the events to commemorate the Rwandan genocide today.
Whatever you choose to do, no matter how small your contribution may seem, IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE! If you have taken the time to finish reading this article, you have taken the first step to end your ignorance. In all honesty, the genocide in Sudan will have little or no ripple effects in our lives. However, before you go on your merry little way, pause a second to empathize with the Sudanese victims and contemplate the suffering that they experience.
Historically, Hutus and Tutsis have lived together amidst intermittent ethnic violence. Tutsis, a minority ethnic group, were overall better educated and wealthier because in 1916, Belgians arrived at the region and granted them preferential treatment. Belgians believed that Tutsis were racially superior to Hutus because their tall frames and sharp noses resembled Europeans more. This favoritism caused widespread dissatisfaction among Hutus for many years. In the waves of decolonization that swept Africa in the 1950s and ?60s, the Belgians switched their allegiance to the Hutus because the Tutsis were demanding greater independence. In a violent uprising, the country was handed over to the Hutu majority and Rwanda was declared a republic in 1961. From then on, Tutsis were barred from taking part in Rwanda?s political life until 1994. Amidst international pressure, negotiations to allow Tutsis greater involvement in politics began. The Hutu leaders who were afraid of losing power then started blaming Tutsis for Hutus? poor quality of life in order to incite a wave of violence against the Tutsis.
In the next four months after the plane crash, the Hutu interahamwe went on a massive killing spree and orchestrated the fastest genocide in the record of human history ? an estimated 800,000 Tutsis were killed in four months by the time the bloodshed ended in September 1994. During this time, despite the pledge to ?never again? let such human tragedies happen after the Holocaust, the United States and the rest of the world watched from the sides and did almost nothing to stop the massacres from taking place.
In Sudan today, another genocide is unfolding. The displacements and killings of African Muslims there are chillingly, reminiscent of the events in Rwanda exactly a decade ago. Human Rights Watch released a report last Friday, accusing the Sudanese government of backing Arab militias who are committing crimes against humanity in Darfur. The report, ?Darfur in Flames: Atrocities in Western Sudan,? describes a scorched earth campaign that targets civilians of non-Arab descent. In the past year, nearly one million civilians of the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in this western region of Sudan have been systematically uprooted from their villages, looted, raped and killed.
For decades, the Arab and African communities in Darfur have sporadically fought over land and other scarce resources. However, the current conflict really began 14 months ago when two new rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), pressured the Sudanese government to stop arming Arab groups in Darfur and solve developmental inequalities in the region.
In response, the government recruited over 20,000 militiamen of Arab descent known as janjaweed to attack civilians from the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups. Aided by the new militias, the government initiated a massive bombing campaign, which have displaced more than 800,000 people and forced another 110,000 people into neighboring Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world. To date, government forces and militias have killed several thousand Fur, Zaghawa and Masaalit civilians, routinely raped women and girls, kidnapped children and looted tens of thousands of head of cattle and other property. In an achingly familiar scene in many areas of Darfur, they have purposefully burned hundreds of villages and decimated water sources and other infrastructure, making it virtually impossible for former villagers to return.
What can I do? ? you wonder. After all, we are mere college students, not policy makers who are capable of sending troops into Sudan or applying pressure on the Sudanese government so that they will stop the bloodshed. However, if you still believe in the ideals of fighting injustice and protecting innocent lives, these are a few practical steps that you can take to make a difference:
1) Write a letter to your state representative or better yet to the President, urging the United States government to act swiftly against the killings. For us Malaysians, we can also write letters to Dato Abdullah Badawi and urge him to bring up the matter during OIC meetings since Sudan is an OIC member. If Bosnian Muslims' death caused such an uproar in malaysia in the past, I don't see why the Sudanese African Muslims should not be protected as well. (You see, I'm being practical here. Judging at the way Msian politicians have responded to HR abuses in the past, I feel like they only care when Muslims are killed. I'm sorry this may hurt but it is a fact.) You may also want to write to Kofi Annan and urge UN to deploy peacekeepers to Sudan immediately. For directions on how to write a letter to public officials, go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/activist_toolkit/print/letter_guide.pdf
2) The next time a politician gives a talk at your university (Sen. Richard Lugar comes to mind), ask him or her why the US government is doing nothing to stop the genocide in Sudan.
3) Launch a demonstration, or a campus-wide vigil to remember the victims of the Sudanese genocide. Get the attention of the press.
4) Attend the events to commemorate the Rwandan genocide today.
Whatever you choose to do, no matter how small your contribution may seem, IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE! If you have taken the time to finish reading this article, you have taken the first step to end your ignorance. In all honesty, the genocide in Sudan will have little or no ripple effects in our lives. However, before you go on your merry little way, pause a second to empathize with the Sudanese victims and contemplate the suffering that they experience.