The 21 year Sudanese civil war between the Arab Muslim Khartoum government in the north and the black African Christian rebels in the south has spurred the world's greatest humanitarian crisis since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Recently, international diplomacy has succeeded in establishing a peace accord. However, the attacks are still occurring and millions of lives are at stake due to extreme hunger in the Darfur region of Sudan. More than 2.2 million are affected by the crisis in an area the size of Texas. According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees, the death toll in Sudan is higher than the combined fatalities of Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Somalia, and Algeria. Over 2 million Sudanese have died directly because of the war, or war-related causes. Sudan has the largest population of displaced persons in the world. They have more than 4 million internally displaced and 500,000 refugees. The war has continued since 1983, making it the longest uninterrupted civil war in the world today. However, in Darfur, the fighting only began last year. It began when groups of students and activists from three of Darfur's African tribes demanding development assistance formed a rebel group that captured the military town of El Fashir and killed 75 government soldiers. In response, the Sudanese government armed a number of Arab militias called the Janjaweed. While the government bombed villages from the skies, the Janjaweed militia began killing and raping the local civilian population. Hundreds of villages have been burned to the ground, food storage facilities destroyed, and fresh water wells polluted. Aid officials have said that even if sufficient supplies arrived today, some 350,000 people could die by the end of the year. 200,000 refugees of Darfur have fled to eastern Chad as a result of the ethnic conflict. Estimates are that 50,000 people have already died in the violence. The approaching rainy season, creating flooding of roads and logistical nightmares for those delivering food and medical supplies, has greatly increased the danger for displaced populations living in meager shelters. What has the United States government done to stop the violence and assist the population in Darfur and Chad? The United States has already contributed $116 million for the Sudan emergency but the United Nations estimates that an additional $274 million will be needed through the end of the year just to meet the urgent humanitarian needs in Darfur and Chad. Larry Hollar, Bread for the World Regional Organizer, is asking Ohioans to contact their members of Congress and urge them to support the U.S. share of $90 million in cooperation with an international effort to prevent grave consequences for thousands of Sudanese. Congresspersons who are particularly important are Dave Hobson of Springfield, Ralph Regula of Canton, and Marcy Kaptur of Toledo because of their membership on committees that will act first on this funding. Senator Mike DeWine R-OH, Patrick Leahy D-VT. and Joseph Biden D-De. have been leaders in the Senate pushing for increased funding to confront the crisis in Sudan. What has the United Nations done to stop the violence? They have given the Sudanese government 30 days to disarm the mounted militias and bring the Darfur region under control. Unfortunately, some international assistance groups trying to reach an estimated 440 dying each day from starvation say it's 30 days too late for 13,000 women and children. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has called on Sudanese President Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan Bashir to end the conflict immediately. Bashir promised he would halt government sponsorship of the Janjaweed and take all necessary steps to ease the humanitarian crisis. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has raised the possibility of sending in international troops if Sudan's government can't protect its people. Catholic Bishop John Ricard, chairman of the U.S. Bishops' International Policy Committee, after returning from Sudan said, "The refugees and military crisis in Sudan is without question the most dire humanitarian situation anywhere in the world." He urged the international community not to wait for formal declarations of ethnic cleansing or genocide before acting. So what can
we faith-based individuals and organizations do to help? The International Rescue Committee is managing a refugee camp in Chad. Services include shelter, health clinics, obstetric care, therapeutic feeding center for malnourished children. Website: www.theirc.org. Catholic Relief Services has dispatched its Emergency Response Team to Darfur and distributed food in Chad. Website: http://Catholicrelief.org. Lutheran World Relief is building water and sanitation systems and refugee camps. Website: Lutheranworldrelief.org. Church World Services is providing food, water, medicines and a supplemental feeding program for 50,000 children. Their website can be found at www.churchworldservice.org
|
|
