A Shattered Communities in Darfur and Chad - Term Paper Example

Full Full A Shattered Community: The Genocide in Darfur “Genocide” as a word did not existuntil 1944, but the acts of violence and evil resulting from it had devastated people from all over the world even before the term was coined. The impacts of systematic mass murder against people just because they were of different belief, race, caste, religion, culture, etc. has and will always be big, ugly blotches in humanity’s existence. Among the most recent and continuing struggles is the one experienced at Dafur, Sudan which started during 2003 and is still going-on till present times (Hentoff). Two rebel groups clashed against the Sudanese government because of its neglect of Darfur and its citizens, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) (sometimes also called Liberation and Justice Movement) and Sudan Liberation Army (SLA). The Sudanese government unleashed an attack against the rebel forces and the ordinary citizens in the city were just collateral damage. Men, women, and children of all ages were murdered on both sides of the conflict (Reuters). Though at present the atrocities in Darfur have somewhat ceased, the harrowing events that went before were enough to leave the community in despair and disarray. The best symbol I can associate to the conflict in Darfur is the balance. As defined in J. C. Cooper’s work, the balance symbolizes “justice; impartiality; judgment; man’s merits and demerits weighed. The equilibrium of all opposites and complementaries…”(26). The warring parties think that the balance of justice and power are tipped against their side that is why they sacrifice countless lives to try and tip it in their favor. In thus struggle, the community pays the price. According to Barbara Coloroso, genocide is an experience of evil which shatters human communities. In this paper, I would like to present how genocide wrecks communities through three different perspectives: through the eyes of the Sudanese government, the eyes of the rebels, and through the eyes of the common citizen. Then I will try to draw conclusions from these differing perspectives in light of being a student of religion and culture – gleaning practical and philosophical lessons and insights from the experience of those that have witnessed and participated in the genocide at Darfur. The Perspective of the Sudanese Government Strong yet compassionate leadership is essential for a community to progress. Darfur became a territory of Sudan in 1916 and for more than a century, everything was relatively peaceful though there were insurgent groups that wanted to restore Darfur as an independent state (O’Fahey). The attack of the rebel forces against the government of Sudan was not tolerated because tolerance would be seen a sign of weakness. And so the bloody war and genocide started on 2003 continuing until the present with the fighting spreading to neighboring countries like Chad and the Central African Republic (Hentoff). The issue of trust. As the leaders of the community, it is expected that a country’s government will protect its territory and will most likely extinguish any flames of insurgency so as to unite its people and keep them safe. But communities are first and foremost built on trust. If the government doubts members of its citizenry and brands them as rebels and insurgents, then they will not be able to uphold their responsibility as protectors and mediators for peace. One of the government’s responsibilities is to uphold justice but in Darfur’s case, the line between good citizens just trying to make those who are in power see that they have been neglected, and those that just want to destabilize the rule got blurred. Thus, whom will the government protect? Who can they trust? The issue of “the greater good”. Part of the responsibilities in leading a community is making tough and unpopular decisions. UN estimates that at least 300,000 people have died because of the atrocities in Darfur (Reuters). That is just .08% of the 37.2 million population of Sudan (World Bank). The government sees it that it is for the greater good of all the citizens of Sudan if these rebellions would be taken under control – they just performed the necessary evil for the greater good. The Perspective of the Rebels Neglect and the lack of equity among citizens led the rebel groups’ JEM and SLA to confront the government directly with the use of arms. They felt that their outcry was not heard and the only way for them to achieve equality for themselves and for the residents of Darfur is to engage in war with the present rulers and reclaim the territory as an independent state. Sudan was largely Islamic by religion and most of the rebels were composed of non-Islamic members. Tensions rose not just because of political differences but also due to differences in religious affiliations. From the rebel’s side, they were heroes, combating the unjust and tyrannical rule of the Sudanese government led by its president Omar Hassan al-Bashir. (Reuters) The issue of equality. For a community to be strong there must be a deep sense of equality among its members. Partiality to one member or group within the community will likely disrupt the harmony inside the community. The rebels fought for equality. Darfur was clearly underdeveloped compared to other parts (especially the Islamic parts) of Sudan. Disbursement of aid and funds were slow to none existent and the needs of the people were not met. The Darfuris seemed like they did not have a voice or their cries just fell on deaf ears so the JEM and SLA took matters into their own hands. The issue of identity. Before Darfur was annexed as a territory of Sudan, it has existed as an independent sultanate with its people separated into different tribes. These tribes clashed every now and then but these disputes were resolved peacefully through the aid of local tribal councils. Part of their territory had enough water and arable land to meet the needs of their population and recently, drilling expeditions have found oil in the territories claimed by Darfur. Communities have unique identities that set them apart from other communities. The identity of the Darfuris were stripped away when they were under the Khartoum (Sudanese government) and the rebels fought and also did acts of evil and violence to get this part of their cultural legacy back. The Perspective of the Common Citizen The ordinary members are the most important ingredients of a community. The interactions of a person with another and the relationships that they build shape the kind of community they are a part of. Unfortunately, the common citizens bear much of the toll when it comes to wars and genocide. The issue of loyalty. Loyalty to one’s group is a requisite for membership and that is also true in a community. In Darfur’s case, common citizens do not really know how and to whom (which side) to place their loyalty. Whichever side they will be pursued and killed by the other. It is also not helpful to be neutral because that will still be patronizing to the other group and thus they will also get punished for it. The issue of alliance. Chad, the Central African Republic and tribes living near the zone of conflict also got involved because of allegations that they were in favor of one party and not the other. They also were recipient of threats and attacks from both sides because they opened their doors for refugees displaced by the on-going war. A community is nurturing and should be characterized by willingness to help its members ad even those around it that are in need, but if you are going to be penalized for being a good neighbor, then who else will uphold the concept of community in war torn areas like Darfur? The Perspective of an Observer I am fortunate enough not to have experienced the horrors of genocide but I can’t help but to feel sorry for all those who have suffered and continue to suffer because of such acts of violence and be overcome by the feeling of helplessness because I can’t really do much to change the present circumstances in Darfur and other areas plagued by such evil. On all the sides that we’ve examined we see that in their own ways the people involved in the conflict wants to uphold the concept of community but by being extremists they tear down the community itself that they wanted to uphold. At the center of it all are families that are said to be the building blocks of society. Families can also be considered as a community. During village raids, men are the first ones killed off because they are the ones more able to fight. Women are raped and oftentimes killed too. The children who survive are the ones that suffer the most. The suffering is relayed in one account found in a recent article of The New York Times by N. Kristof; “Sheltering under one tree here in the Abgadam camp were three small children, all orphans from bloodletting in Darfur. The oldest is a 9-year-old girl named Asiya who is now effectively mother to her brothers, Muhammad, 7, and Yasin, 2. The mother and father were shot dead in their home by a Sudanese government-backed militia, villagers say.” The current death toll is not as it used to be during 2003 and 2004 but there is a new surge of rape, murders, raids of communities, and other atrocious acts committed by the militia supposedly employed by the Khartoum against 2 tribes in the newly established country of Darfur. Media attention to these new cases has dwindled in the past few years and it seems as though apathy has grown in the hearts of us observers from parts of the world that do not experience the devastation first hand (Hentoff). The evil of apathy is another element that genocide indirectly creates that has a more pronounced impact on society because not only does it affect communities in the war-zone but more importantly it leads to the decay of communities that are and should have been capable of helping those victimized by genocide. Figure 2. “Genocide No. 1", 1971 by Dapne Odjig - National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Photo copy righ owned by NGC. Here is a picture which I think most clearly represents the evil brought about by the genocide in Darfur, as well as in other parts of the globe. You can sense pain and suffering on the canvass which affects all victims of genocide. You can see distorted faces and lots of red that can shows the loss of human dignity and life. You cannot distinguish which side a person once belonged to because they all become one big loss for the whole of humanity. References Coloroso, Barbara. Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide. Toronto, Canada. 2007. Print Cooper, J. C. An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols London. 2002. Print Hentoff, Nat. Genocidal dictator’s horrors continue in Darfur. WND Weekly. 10 August 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013 Kristof, Nicholas. Darfur in 2013 sounds awfully familiar. New York Times. 20 July 2013. Web. 6 Nov 2013 O'Fahey, R. S. Darfur: A complex ethnic reality with a long history. The New York Times. 15 May 2004. Web. 6 Nov 2013 Thomson Reuters Foundation. Darfur Conflict. 13 June 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013 World Bank. Population, Total. 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2013 Read More