Darfur: The Tangled Roots of Genocide

Emily Wieser When researching this genocide, one thing specifically came to mind. When compared to other genocides like Rwanda or the Holocaust, Darfurs genocide was ambiguous. Ambiguous in the sense that there were many underlying factors that were implicated with what was going on. Darfurs true story is so shrouded in media, public outcry, and international politics that its difficult to obtain the truth itself. The implications of the Darfur genocide are much more complex than what most people believe the definition of genocide to be. If a viable solution is to be found, those implications and complicated details must be examined. Darfur needs to be seen by the international community not only as genocide, but also as a multidimensional conflict. Within the field of genocide, its agreed among experts that the definition is becoming more and more generalized, and is being used in situations where it shouldnt be applied. Michael Ignatieff, the director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University states: Those who should use the word genocide never let it slip their mouths. Those who unfortunately do use it, banalise it into a validation of every kind of victimhood. Former Secretary-General of Medecins Sans Frontieres, Alain Destexhe, says: Genocide is distinguishable from all other crimes by the motivation behind it...Genocide is a crime on a different scale to all other crimes against humanity and implies an intention to completely exterminate the chosen group. Destexhe agrees that the word genocide has become a victim of a sort of verbal inflation, in much the same way as happened with the word fascist. Why, do you ask, is the detailed truth of Sudans conflict so important when the simple fact of the matter is that there were mass populations of people who were being killed? Within the past two decades Sudans government has not only been pressured by the rising rebellion in Darfur from the west, but also the twenty-year civil war from the South. We cannot forget the pressure from the United Nations as well, concerning the human rights issues that have been occurring for over a decade. The underlying factors that I mentioned earlier in the second paragraph speak to many things. In interviews made by a journalist organization called Vice, an IDP Camp Advisor named Ceaser Keni said, Theres oil, theres oil. When I was there they were talking of getting oil. Who or when or where was not mentioned, but is it possible that the government wanted to clear out the villagers to gain access to oil?

A highly similar thing happened within Sudans civil war, and involving similar paramilitary groups such as the Janjaweed. There are also under-currents of the Arab Gathering, a reminder of Gaddafis long lasting influence on Northern Africa. The Arab Gathering held the ideology of Arab Supremicism. Janjaweed leader Sheik Musa Halil, who is claimed to be a guilty perpetrator in the killings of Darfur, was known to also be a leader of the Arab Gathering in the 1990s. Adding into the equation is a long history of minor conflicts between Arab and non-Arab tribes within Darfur. Experts say that the race and ethnicity between these two tribes were fluid. [Brosch, 5] They intermarried and solved conflicts over land peacefully with agreement. When drought came, so did conflict, and ethnic violence broke out only when the government became involved. With these complexities of the Darfur genocide in mind, we must wonder if the real intent of the Sudanese Government was to ethnically cleanse the non-Arab Sudanese. Certainly there is evidence that could back up the theory, but the position of whether it was or wasnt remains unclear, even after the killings. Although many roots of the conflict tie together, the situation does not call out Genocide! like Rwanda or the Holocaust. It seems that when this shout out is voiced, its usually by the likes of media, humanitarian aid, and activist efforts outside Sudan itself. Mahmood Mamdani speaks to this topic in an interview initiated by Guernica magazine: I think the striking thing about the narrative is there is no attempt to explain what leads to these atrocities. My point exactly Mamdani. When looking for historical leads on why the drive to cleanse out the non-Arab people of Darfur first started, I scraped the bottom. I could barely find anything besides an organization founded in the 1970s by Gaddafi, and a historical conflict between non-Arab and Arab tribes encircling natural desertification and drought. I am not by any means trying to dilute the fact that extreme suffering, slaughter, and rape was forced upon the people of Darfur. The violence that escalated to that level of atrocity cannot be tolerated, even if the perpetrators motives are unclear. Humanitarian aid, widespread news coverage, and international pressure are all necessary, but non of this will be effective if we do not understand the origins of the conflict Anyone could rationalize any theory when it comes to why the killings occurred. Effective action and further prevention should be taken only when the details and origins of the conflict are uncovered and analyzed. But when its clear to see that even the definition of genocide is being diluted, it is even more vital to look almost microscopically at the causes and events that helped push forward the conflict in Darfur. Without this knowledge, the deluded ignorance as to what genocide actually is will further be carried on, and justice will be evaded. If the devil is truly in the details, theres no better way to expose him.

Works Cited "BBC News - Sudan profile ." BBC - Homepage. BBC, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14095300>. Brosch, Johan . "Introduction." DARFUR - Dimensions and Dilemmas of a Complex Situation. Uppsala: Department of Peace and Conflict Research, 2008. 5. Print. Flint, Julie, and Alex de Waal. "Ideology in arms: The emergence of Darfur's Janjaweed - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan." Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan. Sudan Tribune, 30 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://www.sudantribune.com/ideology-in-arms-theemergence-of,11358>. "Genocide in Darfur | United Human Rights Council." The United Human Rights Council | Educate Yourself & Others to Bring Change in the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide-in-sudan.htm>. MLA formatting by BibMe.org.