Darfur, Sudan Genocide

Questions: 1. What methods did the group(s) use to show their frustrations and ultimately lead to a revolution? 2. How is your revolution similar and/or different to the other ones that we have studied? 3. What was the eventual outcome of the revolution, and did the nation/people become better due to the revolution? 4. Was this revolution justified? Would other methods have worked? 5. Briefly state whether or not your revolution follows Crane Briton’s Anatomy of a revolution?

1. What methods did the group(s) use to show their frustrations and ultimately lead to a revolution?

Darfur is the western region of the Republic of Sudan. A region that host’s many diverse ethnic groups, Arabs and non-Arabs. Today, Darfur is described as an African-Arab conflict. Darfur is economically weak and neglected; a region where healthcare, education, institutions, infrastructures are at its lowest standards. The efforts to build a unified Darfurian politician platform failed to succeed. The government’s failure to address key issues, and their support to the Janjaweeed, an Arab militia, increased the growing discontent. This eventually led to the rebel groups to take arms; led by the main groups such as the JEM (The Justice Equality Movement) and the SLA (The Sudan Liberation Army). Both these groups comprised of non-Arabs, Fur, Zaghawa etc. These groups attacked government military garrisons and fought Janjaweed militias. 2. How is your revolution similar and/or different to the other ones that we have studied? The Darfur conflict is very different to the other revolutions we have studied because it involves a conflict between the government and two rebel groups namely the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. Usually the other revolutions are instigated by the majority of the people rebelling against the government. The two groups that have rebelled say that the government is “oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs.” This conflict is centered on race and color whereas the American Revolution was about people who have lived in their place for a sustained time protesting against a king who is living on the other side of the world, assert his control over them, and wanting to impose taxes. The Darfur conflict is also not similar to the French revolution because it was on the subject of inequality between classes. Likewise it is not akin to People power because it was done to oust a terrible dictator who declared marshal law. UN peacekeepers and African Union troops are in Darfur trying to stop the conflict. In the other named revolutions there were no people actually trying to stop the rebellion. For these reasons the Darfur conflict and the French, American and Filipino revolutions are not very similar to each other. 3. What was the eventual outcome of the revolution, and did the nation/people become better due to the revolution? Along with the uprising and change in Darfur; the revolution had a price to pay. According to the UN, about 200-400,000 people have died in the conflict. Around 2.2 million Darfurians have been driven out of their homes due to the violence; one-third of the population still lives in refugee camps. Humanitarian assistance is another key issue as international relief workers fail to reach the much helpless communities because of Sudan’s strict regulations. Its people, have deeply suffered from atrocities such as the destruction of villages, slaughtering by the Janjaweed, women are a target of rape, contamination of water wells and food supplies; violence, starvation, disease sum up the current situation in Darfur. The UNAMID (UN and the AU-African Union) have agreed on deploying around 26,000 member peacekeeping force in Darfur. Their goal is to provide better resources to protect, and aid the civilians as well as humanitarian workers. There are already 7,000 AU troops in Darfur; however, that has been unsuccessful in controlling the violence. The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) has also been signed by the Sudanese Government and a faction of the SLA. 4. Was this revolution justified? Would other methods have worked? Yes, the revolution was justified as the Darfurians were fed up with the Sudanese Government. Over the past years, the government has abandoned Darfur; thus, affecting Darfurs infrastructure, institutions, healthcare etc. Attacks on villages and innocent civilians, especially women, by the Janjaweed still continue. This leads to the creation of refugee camps, diseases and starvation. The government is not disarming the ruthless ethnic militias (Janjaweed), but supporting it through armed forces/weapons. It is allowing and permitting attacks on civilians/villages; violations of international law go unpunished, as well as the attacks on AU and humanitarian aid workers. They coordinate the bombings on the communities that are suspected to host the rebels. Furthermore, they have also rejected main issues that include power sharing between the people, victims compensation fund, and foremost, rebel representation in government. There are other means that might work. International institutions and foreign governments could apply pressure on the Sudan’s government through sanctions, forcing it to change its policies and practices. The deployment of more UN and AU troops who are more experienced and well-trained. Organizations around the world should be more involved in improving the living condition at the refugee camps. 5. Briefly state whether or not your revolution follows Crane Briton’s Anatomy of a revolution? The problem in Darfur does not fit Briton Crane’s Anatomy of a revolution. This is mainly because there is no division between the people such as the middle class, the intellectual, the moderates, the radicals and others. Considering the symptoms stage, Briton Crane states that the people express their anger over economic restrains. In considering this matter the conflict in Darfur has nothing to do with the economy; it is a mass genocide. The government was not inefficient at all; in fact they are even winning this genocide. During phase 2: the rising fever, there was no new government that was formed. There is a rebellion but the government is able to suppress the rebellion. When it reaches phase three which is Crisis, there is a lot of violence but the opposition is not squashed and the revolution is not fragile because the SLA and the JEM have support of the people. Sadly, there has not been any convalescence in this revolution because it is still going on and alas the people are not winning, the government is. Thus many black Africans are dying. Bibliography: "Darfur conflict." 16 January 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 16 January 2007. //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict. "Darfur mission 'behind schedule'." BBC News. 02 December 2007. BBC. 16 January 2008 //news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7123378.stm. De Waal,Alex. "Darfur." Microsoft® Student 2008 [DVD]. CD-ROM.2008 ed.Redmond, WA:Microsoft Coorporation, Pavic, Filipa. Personal interview. 30 January 2008 "Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict." BBC News. 15 November 2007. BBC. 16 January 2007 Ratnesar, Romesh. "The Don Quixote of Darfur." TIME 02 November 2007: 24. //news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3496731.stm. "The worsening chaos of Darfur." The Economist 13 October 2007: 55-56. Dinesh Mohnani & Stanzin