Sudan is the largest African country. With good oil and mineral resources, the people should live there prosperously. But they don’t. There is no unity among the various peoples inhabiting the country. Nearly 100 languages and dialects are used by the various tribes. Constant civil war has been the curse of the country all these years.The Arab Muslims living in the north are generally the rulers; in south people are divided among various tribal populations following Christianity and several traditional religions. The religious and cultural differences keep the people divided permanently. In the absence of an enlightened welfare government the misery of the people and human rights violations continue unabated.
On the International Human Rights Day, incidentally also marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UNO, US President George Bush highlighted the plight of the people of Darfur region of Sudan. He met Halima Bashir, a tireless human rights worker of the region in White House.
Halima Bashir is a doctor. She was running her clinic in Darfur. She came to know of the rapes of girls at a nearby school. The young girls, some of them not even eight years old, had been assaulted by government-supported Janjaweed militias. She treated them and made their story public, thus incurring the wrath of the militias. The Janjaweed militias kidnapped her; tortured and gang-raped her. She escaped and published her experiences titled ‘Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur’.
President Bush praised Halima Bashir for her brave work. He described her as a brave soul and said, "She has witnessed violence, deprivation, and she carries a message of a lot of people who want our help."
Mr. Bush assured her that even in these tough economic times, the United States will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Darfur. He said he also expressed his frustration with the pace of action at the U.N.
"The United Nations must expedite sending troops, peacekeepers, to provide security for the people," said Mr. Bush. "That's what they want. They want to be able to have a secure life, and we will help."
President Bush did not refer directly to the charges leveled against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court, which has accused him of a campaign of rape, murder and deportation in Darfur. But Mr. Bush left no doubt he believes the Sudanese leader bears responsibility for the violence.He said, "It is very important for President Bashir of Sudan to know that he cannot escape accountability, that if he so chose he could change peoples' lives - the condition of peoples' lives - very quickly."
Halima Bashir listened quietly, and then responded in a very soft, low voice. She was covered from head to foot in a bright cotton cloak. The White House said she wanted to shroud her identity from her enemies.
Halima Bashir said, "I am very happy, because now the Darfur victim's voices are heard in the White House." She said the people of Darfur have endured five years of bloodshed. She said they do not need to wait anymore; they need action.
The plight of Darfur region calls for international attention. The janjaweed militia has the open support of Sudanese government and its army manned by Arabic speaking Muslims. Darfur’s non-Arabic speaking tribes are the victims. The militia abducts thousands of civilians from Darfur, including children and uses them as sex slaves and forced labor.
Darfur Consortium is a coalition of 50 African and international charities. Dismas Nkunda, Co-Chair of the Darfur Consortium has said, “The Government bears a direct responsibility for these violations as they have generally been carried out by government forces or the militias which the government of Sudan established and supported.” The western aid agencies and diplomatic sources consider that in the last six years, nearly 30000 persons have been killed and that at least 2.5 million persons have been forced from their homes. Darfur Consortium states that the human right violations of the worst order carried out by the Arabic Muslims are part of a determined government policy of ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Such gross violations of human rights are blemishes on the humankind. The injustice perpetrated in Darfur region is government-sponsored one! The UNO should be able to intervene effectively in such cases without wasting time and restore normalcy in the lives of these innocent poor people.
Source
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-12-10-voa19.cfm
The New Indian Express, Chennai dated December 18, 2008
On the International Human Rights Day, incidentally also marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UNO, US President George Bush highlighted the plight of the people of Darfur region of Sudan. He met Halima Bashir, a tireless human rights worker of the region in White House.
Halima Bashir is a doctor. She was running her clinic in Darfur. She came to know of the rapes of girls at a nearby school. The young girls, some of them not even eight years old, had been assaulted by government-supported Janjaweed militias. She treated them and made their story public, thus incurring the wrath of the militias. The Janjaweed militias kidnapped her; tortured and gang-raped her. She escaped and published her experiences titled ‘Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur’.
President Bush praised Halima Bashir for her brave work. He described her as a brave soul and said, "She has witnessed violence, deprivation, and she carries a message of a lot of people who want our help."
Mr. Bush assured her that even in these tough economic times, the United States will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Darfur. He said he also expressed his frustration with the pace of action at the U.N.
"The United Nations must expedite sending troops, peacekeepers, to provide security for the people," said Mr. Bush. "That's what they want. They want to be able to have a secure life, and we will help."
President Bush did not refer directly to the charges leveled against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court, which has accused him of a campaign of rape, murder and deportation in Darfur. But Mr. Bush left no doubt he believes the Sudanese leader bears responsibility for the violence.He said, "It is very important for President Bashir of Sudan to know that he cannot escape accountability, that if he so chose he could change peoples' lives - the condition of peoples' lives - very quickly."
Halima Bashir listened quietly, and then responded in a very soft, low voice. She was covered from head to foot in a bright cotton cloak. The White House said she wanted to shroud her identity from her enemies.
Halima Bashir said, "I am very happy, because now the Darfur victim's voices are heard in the White House." She said the people of Darfur have endured five years of bloodshed. She said they do not need to wait anymore; they need action.
The plight of Darfur region calls for international attention. The janjaweed militia has the open support of Sudanese government and its army manned by Arabic speaking Muslims. Darfur’s non-Arabic speaking tribes are the victims. The militia abducts thousands of civilians from Darfur, including children and uses them as sex slaves and forced labor.
Darfur Consortium is a coalition of 50 African and international charities. Dismas Nkunda, Co-Chair of the Darfur Consortium has said, “The Government bears a direct responsibility for these violations as they have generally been carried out by government forces or the militias which the government of Sudan established and supported.” The western aid agencies and diplomatic sources consider that in the last six years, nearly 30000 persons have been killed and that at least 2.5 million persons have been forced from their homes. Darfur Consortium states that the human right violations of the worst order carried out by the Arabic Muslims are part of a determined government policy of ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Such gross violations of human rights are blemishes on the humankind. The injustice perpetrated in Darfur region is government-sponsored one! The UNO should be able to intervene effectively in such cases without wasting time and restore normalcy in the lives of these innocent poor people.
Source
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-12-10-voa19.cfm
The New Indian Express, Chennai dated December 18, 2008
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