DEFINITION OF GENOCIDE

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

. Since 1956, when Sudan gained independence from Britain, there have been only 11 years of peace

. Since 1956, when Sudan gained independence from Britain, there have been only 11 years of peace

SUDANSUDAN

The GovernmentThe Government

• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir came to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

• Sudan is ruled under Sharia- or Islamic law. The capital,Khartoum, and government are run by Arab Muslims.

• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir came to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

• Sudan is ruled under Sharia- or Islamic law. The capital,Khartoum, and government are run by Arab Muslims.

The ConflictThe ConflictETHNICITY• 52% Black• 39% ArabRELIGION• 70% Muslim (Sunni)• 25% Indigenous Beliefs

• 5% ChristianIn the Darfur region, there are two groups:

• Black Muslim Farmers• Arab Muslim Herders.• They have been in conflict for many years

ETHNICITY• 52% Black• 39% ArabRELIGION• 70% Muslim (Sunni)• 25% Indigenous Beliefs

• 5% ChristianIn the Darfur region, there are two groups:

• Black Muslim Farmers• Arab Muslim Herders.• They have been in conflict for many years

The RebelsThe Rebels

• Dark skinned “black” Muslims in the Darfur region of Western Sudan felt neglected and impoverished by the government. In 2003, two rebel groups launched attacks against the government.

• Dark skinned “black” Muslims in the Darfur region of Western Sudan felt neglected and impoverished by the government. In 2003, two rebel groups launched attacks against the government.

The Government Response

The Government Response

• In order to put down the rebels, the government launched massive retaliation against the blacks in Darfur

• In order to put down the rebels, the government launched massive retaliation against the blacks in Darfur

The JanjaweedThe Janjaweed

• The government also supports an Arab Muslim militia, the Janjaweed (Devils on Horseback). This militia has been the primary perpetrator of genocide. They enter villages, kill some of the men and rape many of the women and girls. They drive the survivors from their homes and burn the village.

• The government also supports an Arab Muslim militia, the Janjaweed (Devils on Horseback). This militia has been the primary perpetrator of genocide. They enter villages, kill some of the men and rape many of the women and girls. They drive the survivors from their homes and burn the village.

Janjaweed ViolenceJanjaweed Violence

The Toll, So Far…The Toll, So Far…

• Since February 2003, the Janjaweed and the government have used rape, displacement, starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murder to kill more than 500, 000 and displace more that 2.5 million

• Since February 2003, the Janjaweed and the government have used rape, displacement, starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murder to kill more than 500, 000 and displace more that 2.5 million

SpillageSpillage

• The conflict is now spilling to neighboring countries Uganda, Chad, and the Central African Republic. All three nations are destabilizing politically and economically.

• The conflict is now spilling to neighboring countries Uganda, Chad, and the Central African Republic. All three nations are destabilizing politically and economically.

REFUGEESREFUGEES

The United States The United States

• The US recently pledged to provide assistance to the Sudan, though the government has yet to determine just how much…

• The US does not have diplomatic representation in the Sudan. It works through Kenya and Ethiopia

• The US recently pledged to provide assistance to the Sudan, though the government has yet to determine just how much…

• The US does not have diplomatic representation in the Sudan. It works through Kenya and Ethiopia

GenocideGenocide

• In 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell, President Bush and the US Congress declared Darfur to be genocide.

• In 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell, President Bush and the US Congress declared Darfur to be genocide.

“…we want light skinned babies”-Janjaweed fighter to

Paul Krugman of the NY Times

“…we want light skinned babies”-Janjaweed fighter to

Paul Krugman of the NY Times

• Part of the policy of the Janjaweed is to rape “darker skinned” women in order to produce “light skinned” babies. Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese women have been victims of rape.

• Part of the policy of the Janjaweed is to rape “darker skinned” women in order to produce “light skinned” babies. Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese women have been victims of rape.

Summary of the Conflict

Summary of the Conflict

• The government of Sudan is responsible for “ethnic cleansing” and crimes against humanity in the context of an internal conflict in Darfur, one of the world’s poorest and most inaccessible regions, on Sudan’s western border with Chad. Since 2003, the Sudanese government and the ethnic “Janjaweed” militias it arms and supports have committed numerous attacks on the civilian populations of the Fur, Masalit, Zaghawa and other ethnic groups perceived to support the rebel insurgency. Government forces oversaw and directly participated in massacres, summary executions of civilians—including women and children—burnings of towns and villages, and the forcible depopulation of wide swathes of land long inhabited by the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. The Janjaweed militias, Muslim like the groups they attack, have destroyed mosques, killed Muslim religious leaders, and desecrated Qurans belonging to their enemies.

• Countless women and girls have been raped. Hundreds of villages have been bombed and burned; water sources and food stocks have been destroyed, property and livestock looted. Mosques, schools and hospitals have been burnt to the ground. - Human Rights Watch

• The government of Sudan is responsible for “ethnic cleansing” and crimes against humanity in the context of an internal conflict in Darfur, one of the world’s poorest and most inaccessible regions, on Sudan’s western border with Chad. Since 2003, the Sudanese government and the ethnic “Janjaweed” militias it arms and supports have committed numerous attacks on the civilian populations of the Fur, Masalit, Zaghawa and other ethnic groups perceived to support the rebel insurgency. Government forces oversaw and directly participated in massacres, summary executions of civilians—including women and children—burnings of towns and villages, and the forcible depopulation of wide swathes of land long inhabited by the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. The Janjaweed militias, Muslim like the groups they attack, have destroyed mosques, killed Muslim religious leaders, and desecrated Qurans belonging to their enemies.

• Countless women and girls have been raped. Hundreds of villages have been bombed and burned; water sources and food stocks have been destroyed, property and livestock looted. Mosques, schools and hospitals have been burnt to the ground. - Human Rights Watch