SUDAN: Genocide

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SUDAN Genocide Civil War
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Sudan

• More than 1/4 the size of the US largest
  African nation
• Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between
  Egypt and Eritrea
• Population - 40 million
• Ethnicity - Black 52, Arab 39
• Religion 60 Muslim, 25 Animist, 15 Christian

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Background

• Achieved independence from UK and Egypt in 1956.
• Gov. mostly made up military regimes favoring
  Islamic oriented policies.
• Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars
  during most of the remainder of the 20th century.
  
• Capital - Khartoum

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Civil War

• Conflict is rooted in Arab and Muslim northern
  economic, political, and social domination of
  largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese.
• Lots of oil in the south, more fertile
• North vs. South
• Arab vs. Non Arab
• Muslims vs. Christians

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Civil War

• Sudans Peoples Liberation Movement/Army main
  insurgent force
• Accused govt of keeping revenues from oil for
  Arabs only
• Peace talks in 2003 produced agreement to share
  revenues between govt southern rebel groups

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Civil War

• Jan. 2005 civil war of nearly 20 years came to
  an end (longest-running in Africa)
• Peace agreement signed between SPLM and the govt
• 2 million died and 4 million southerners displaced

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Omar Al-Bashir

• President of Sudan
• His policy of Islamization of the Sudan and
  implementation of Sharia Law has enraged and
  fueled the already ongoing civil war in the
  Sudan.
• Ranked worlds worst dictator

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Omar Al-Bashir
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Genocide

• In 2003, rebel groups (SLA -Sudan Liberation Army
  JEM - Justice and Equality Movement) staged an
  armed rebellion in Darfur the western region of
  Sudan largest region.

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Genocide

• Rebels- black African ethnic groups
• Accused the Arab government of neglecting the
  regions development
• Desertification also contributed to hostilities
• Rebels attacked and killed Arab gov. leaders.

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Janjaweed

• The government retaliated by arming Arab
  Janjaweed (loosely translated as evil men on
  horseback) militias.
• Janjaweed was ordered to annihilate the civilians
  of African, non-Arab tribes, which were thought
  to be supporting the rebellion.

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• The bodies of the dead have been
• "tossed into the bottoms of wells, dumped into
  mass graves, interred in sandy cemeteries and
  crudely cremated. Children have been snatched
  from the arms of their mothers and thrown into
  fires, villagers dragged on the ground behind
  horses and camels by ropes strung around their
  necks"(Lacey).

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Genocide

• There has been little international action toward
  the crisis in Sudan due to the question of
  whether or not the government and Arab-Muslim
  Janjaweed militias have actually committed
  genocide.
• Is this genocide?

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UN definition of Genocide

• (a) Killing members of the group
• (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to
  members of the group
• (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group
  conditions of life calculated to bring about its
  physical destruction in whole or in part
• (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births
  within the group
• (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group
  to another group.

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Genocide in Bosnia

• In mid 1990s a similar situation took place in
  Bosnia in which Muslims were being killed by
  Christians, and this was labeled genocide by the
  West
• Why the difference in reaction?

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More Recently

• As many as 2.7 million civilians of Darfur have
  been displaced and 200,000-400,000 deaths have
  resulted from the crisis.
• A ceasefire agreement was signed between the
  rebels and government in April 2004.
• 2008 ICC issued arrest warrant for al-Bashir (3
  counts of genocide)

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More Recently

• Violence continues despite the ceasefire
• Janjaweed continues to target blacks
• Refugees internally displaced people need
  water, food, healthcare shelter
• Many have not reached safety of camps are
  wandering the desert

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• As a consequence of the unwillingness of world
  leaders to interfere, they and their respective
  nations are partially responsible for the
  continuation of the conflict.
• Do you agree or disagree? Why?

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South Sudan
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South Sudan

• Referendum held January 2011 to secede
• 98 voted yes independence on July 9, 2011
• Mostly animist, few Christian
• Capital is Juba
• Most people are impoverished

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South Sudan

• Subsistence Agriculture White Nile valley
  extremely fertile
• Depends largely on import of goods from Sudan
• 98 of revenues from oil but refineries and
  pipeline in Sudan
• Khartoum has imposed blockades on foreign aid and
  goods

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Border issues continue w/Sudan