War in Darfur - Article Example

War in Darfur Summary Khartoum’s government has formed alliances with Janjaweed militia which is led by the ICC-indicted Alikoshen. The militia is torching villages, destroying them and killing people in broad daylight as the villagers watch. The militia has been denying access to journalists, aid workers, and U.N. peacekeepers so that there is no evidence of the killings and destructions going on. This has led to the UN and the media reporting that the war in Darfur is over which is far from the truth.

The government incorporates the Janjaweed militia into the army or pays them to act as paramilitary for fear of a potential backlash. They are given complete impunity for looting and destruction as long as they ensure the government’s interests in Darfur. The main interest of the government is the land in Darfur. The Darfur natives identify Ali Kosheib as the commander of the Janjaweed unit which is responsible for looting and burning their properties. He calls himself the government and uses the government machinery like weapons and vehicles when he goes looting.

The government allows the militia to smuggle gum Arabic as part of their compensation. It also helps them extort resources from the public by organizing Government-sponsored “reconciliation conferences” where the Janjaweed militia demands huge payoffs to prevent further attacks.The Darfur conflict intensifies more with attempted peace efforts. There have not been proposed peace efforts addressing the main issues which cause war in Darfur and this leads to rejection of such proposals. International initiatives of peace in Sudan are disconnected from Darfur and instead they are concentrated in other areas which allow the militia to divide and conquer minimizing the chances of peace in Darfur.

Peace in Darfur can only be propagated by internationally-backed peace initiatives which will address the core issues and resolve the conflict once and for all. Otherwise, some population of Darfur will continue to be wiped out as their land is taken and their property destroyed while nothing is being done about it. In my opinion, this article presented the accurate situation on the ground of what is happening in Darfur. Despite reports from the UN that the war in Darfur is no more; their citizens continue to flee their country in search for peaceful places to stay in other countries as refugees.

This article also gives evidence of interviewed nationals who have witnessed the militia loot, burn and kill people while using government vehicles. I totally agree with the author of this article as he has presented the evidence needed to understand the war in Darfur and the role the international community in the war. The international community is doing little to stop the Darfur war. They do not address the core issues affecting the people and therefore their peace proposals are refused by both the population and the militia.

This article helps understand the reason why there are more internally displaced refugees in Darfur is because they lack access to the external world. The government with the help of the militia also ensures that the journalists and aid workers don’t get access to the people so that information does not leak out and expose Ali Kosheib as the major perpetrator of the war after being indicated by the ICC over war crimes. This article was very important, informative and insightful. Furthermore, the evidence given in this article answers many questions, especially, about why the war in Darfur still lingers on despite the international attention it has received.

Reference John Prendergast & Omer Ismail, (2013). Darfur’s Still Burning: world news, Albert González Farran/UNAMID/AP. [web] Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/13/darfur-s-still-burning.html