2008 Woodie Awards
Genocide rages again in Africa
Nadia Galindo
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
"Genocide in Sudan" was the topic of the lecture given by Pam Davis, human rights activist and speaker, Sept. 10 in T303.
Davis focused on the mass atrocities plaguing Darfur, the western region of Sudan about the size of Texas.
Davis said the government of Sudan under President Omar Hassan al-Bashir supports and funds a militia called the Janjaweed. She said the term Janjaweed means devil on horseback. Davis said since 2003 this group has terrorized southern and western Sudan to help the government gain land and resources such as gold and oil.
Davis said the situation in Sudan is similar to Iraq; during the time of colonialism European powers came into regions in the Middle East and Africa and created lines that blocked in countries.
In doing this, Davis said different ethnic groups meshed together under one government. Like [Iraq] which has three main groups fighting, there are several groups in Sudan.
According to the book "Not on Our Watch" by actor Don Cheadle and human rights activist John Prendergast, the main rebel groups are the Janjaweed, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army.
Davis said Darfur was a prosperous kingdom until the time of colonialism. Now there is a divide between the Arab nomadic herders and Africans who are mostly farmers.
"A lot of times the two groups would clash, but left without the government they would always make a way to get along," Davis said. "The Arabs intermarried with the Africans."
When al-Bashir became president he began the genocide so he could freely take resources and not give compensation to the Africans, Davis said.
"He [al-Bashir] told these groups [Janjaweed] you can go in there get rid of those Africans because they are trying to take over your country and move all of us [Arabs] out," Davis said.
The international community is recognizing that the situation in Sudan is becoming as bad as the genocide in Rwanda that killed 800,000 lives in 100 days, according to the book "Not on Our Watch."
A.K. Guililat, undecided sophomore from Ethiopia, said he grew up under a government like Sudan.
"I was used to the situation with a bad government; it is hard to change a big problem in a few years," Guililat said. "We can do something about it by teaching people about what is happening."
Davis said there is something people can do to help end this genocide and China can make the biggest difference.
She said China Petro buys oil from Sudan, which helps fund the genocide. Davis said now that China will host the next Olympics it is the perfect time to put pressure on them to stop buying Sudan's oil.
To learn more about what can be done to stop it, students can visit www.genocideinterventionnetwork.net or become involved in Brookhaven's Amnesty International club.
Davis focused on the mass atrocities plaguing Darfur, the western region of Sudan about the size of Texas.
Davis said the government of Sudan under President Omar Hassan al-Bashir supports and funds a militia called the Janjaweed. She said the term Janjaweed means devil on horseback. Davis said since 2003 this group has terrorized southern and western Sudan to help the government gain land and resources such as gold and oil.
Davis said the situation in Sudan is similar to Iraq; during the time of colonialism European powers came into regions in the Middle East and Africa and created lines that blocked in countries.
In doing this, Davis said different ethnic groups meshed together under one government. Like [Iraq] which has three main groups fighting, there are several groups in Sudan.
According to the book "Not on Our Watch" by actor Don Cheadle and human rights activist John Prendergast, the main rebel groups are the Janjaweed, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army.
Davis said Darfur was a prosperous kingdom until the time of colonialism. Now there is a divide between the Arab nomadic herders and Africans who are mostly farmers.
"A lot of times the two groups would clash, but left without the government they would always make a way to get along," Davis said. "The Arabs intermarried with the Africans."
When al-Bashir became president he began the genocide so he could freely take resources and not give compensation to the Africans, Davis said.
"He [al-Bashir] told these groups [Janjaweed] you can go in there get rid of those Africans because they are trying to take over your country and move all of us [Arabs] out," Davis said.
The international community is recognizing that the situation in Sudan is becoming as bad as the genocide in Rwanda that killed 800,000 lives in 100 days, according to the book "Not on Our Watch."
A.K. Guililat, undecided sophomore from Ethiopia, said he grew up under a government like Sudan.
"I was used to the situation with a bad government; it is hard to change a big problem in a few years," Guililat said. "We can do something about it by teaching people about what is happening."
Davis said there is something people can do to help end this genocide and China can make the biggest difference.
She said China Petro buys oil from Sudan, which helps fund the genocide. Davis said now that China will host the next Olympics it is the perfect time to put pressure on them to stop buying Sudan's oil.
To learn more about what can be done to stop it, students can visit www.genocideinterventionnetwork.net or become involved in Brookhaven's Amnesty International club.
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