Genocide in the Central African

RepublicBy Jordan Rushing

The Problem

The Central African Republic is rapidly moving towards the possibility of

genocide

To best understand the problem and the solutions to the problem, it is best to look into history

The Holocaust

The most well known genocide in history is the Holocaust

The Holocaust involved the systematic killing of about 6 million Jews and the killings of millions of others, including Soviet prisoners of war, the people of Romania and Poland, the disabled, and homosexuals

The Nazis Party (which was in control in Germany), led by Adolf Hitler, carried out the Holocaust

Adolf Hitler, leader of the

Nazis Party

The Holocaust

The victims of the Nazis (mainly Jews) were usually sent to concentration or death camps before they were killed (there were survivors too though); one collection of concentration camps, known as Auschwitz, killed 1.1 million prisoners, 90% of which were Jewish

The Holocaust began to end when Allied forces, led by the Americans, liberated the concentration camps, freeing the prisoners

Victims of the Holocaust

Lessons of the Holocaust

Lesson #1- Propaganda plays a major role in bringing about genocide: The Nazis Party placed the blame of Germany’s prior desolation onto the Jewish population, allowing for German public consent of the actions of the Holocaust

Lesson #2- Foreign ignorance plays a major role in the continuation of genocide: The Holocaust would have ended much sooner if the American people and American forces would have known the true horrors of the Holocaust; because foreign countries did not know (and maybe did not care) about how bad the Holocaust was, they did not do anything to stop the Holocaust until the end of World War II

Lessons of the Holocaust

Lesson #3- In genocide, a specific group of people are targeted, putting all people of that group in harm’s way: For the Holocaust, the targeted group was Jews, which resulted in 2/3rds of the European Jewish pop. being wiped out

Lesson #4- Genocide is the worst human rights violation: Genocide is not just a massacre or just discrimination; it is far worse. Genocide selects a certain group of people and kills them systematically for being in that group. The Holocaust shows just how awful and cruel genocide is. Anne

Frank,One of the most well-known victims of the

Holocaust

Genocide Before the Holocaust

Many people have misconceptions about genocide and the Holocaust; a large amount of people believe that the Holocaust was the first and last instance of genocide. These people are wrong

The Anasazi of the American Southwest are believed to have been killed out due to genocide (around 800 C.E.)

Belgium, under Leopold II, engaged in genocidal action by forcing the people of the Congo Free State into slavery; thousands of people died in the process (1890s)

The effects of genocide

Genocide Before the Holocaust

German colonizers of South and West Africa killed up to 100,000 Herero people and 10,000 Nama people (1904-1907)

In trying to gain control of the Black Sea Coast, the Russian Empire killed up to 1.5 million Circassians (mainly 1860s)

The Armenian genocide involved the destruction of the Armenian population within the Ottoman Empire; about 1.5 Armenians died in the genocide (1915)

Hundreds of other genocides, documented or not, have occurred, most of which happened before the Holocaust

Did We Learn Our Lesson?

Unfortunately, No. It is unlikely that a genocide the scale of the Holocaust will ever occur again, but regional genocides continue to occur

One example- The Khmer Rogue in Cambodia, led by Pol Pot, organized a genocide of multiple minority groups, resulting in the deaths of about 2 million people

Other genocides (all after the Holocaust) have occurred in Croatia, Poland, the Dominican Republic, China, Zanzibar, Guatemala, Pakistan, Burundi, North Korea, Indonesia, East Timor, Laos, Argentina, Ethiopia, Iraq, Tibet, Brazil, Congo, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Rwanda

Pol Pot

The Rwandan Genocide

Of all the preceding genocides, one of the most notable is the Rwandan Genocide, which occurred less than 20 years ago (100 day period beginning in July of 1994)

The Rwandan Genocide involved the mass slaughter of Tutsi and moderate Hutu (both are ethnic groups) by the Hutu majority

Up to 1 million Rwandans were killed (70% of the Tutsi population in Rwanda)

Rwandan Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide

The lessons that we should have learned from the Holocaust were not heeded. Propaganda (lesson 1) resulted in the beginnings of a genocide against a specific group, the Tutsi (lesson 3). The genocide continued for as long as it did because the worldwide response was very slow (lesson 2). Overall, another genocide, the worst kind of human rights violation (lesson 4), had occurred.

Effects of the Rwandan Genocide

Lessons of the Rwandan Genocide

Lesson #5- Ethnic differences and political instability play a major role in bringing about genocide: The political instability of the Rwandan government, coupled with the ethnic quarrels of the Hutu and Tutsi, resulted in genocide

Lesson #6- Genocide does not receive enough attention: More often than not, genocide does not get the coverage it needs. The public remains uninformed about the atrocities of genocide. This is why the response to the Rwandan genocide was so slow. Flag of

Rwanda

Central African Republic

It is now time to apply history to the current problem in the Central African Republic.

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in central Africa with a very poor economy

The CAR remains extremely dependent on foreign aid, but poverty remains widespread across the country

Both education and health are very poor in the CAR (over half of the adult population is illiterate)

Flag of the CAR

Central African Republic

The CAR has a democratic government, but this government has proven to be very weak

The majority of the CAR is Christian, but a minority does practice Islam

Overall, the Central African Republic is politically unstable, filled with ethnic tensions, and hurt by widespread poverty

Marketplace in the CAR

Approaching Genocide

In November and December of 2013, Muslim rebels took the capital; the Muslim rebels are known as the Seleka

Christian fighters have responded by taking back power and targeting not only the Seleka, but also Muslim communities in general; these Christian forces are known as the Anti-Balaka

Power of the government has shifted multiple times between the traditional power holders (mainly Christian) and the rebels (Muslims)

The Seleka

Approaching Genocide

As the Seleka is trying to take control of the government, the Anti-Balaka is harassing the Muslim population (the Seleka has also harassed the Christian population)

More than 2,000 people have already died in the conflict

Nearly a million of the CAR’s 4.6 million people have been displaced from their homes

School, hospitals, and other necessary infrastructure have been destroyed Increasing

conflict in the CAR

Approaching Genocide

Both the Seleka and Anti-Balaka have begun to recruit child soldiers (about 6,000 children so far)

Most people agree that the situation is only going to get worse

The Central African Republic, in the midst of conflict between Christians (Anti-Balaka) and Muslims (Seleka), is on the verge of genocide

Effects of the

approaching

genocide

The Solution So Far

120 European Union peacekeepers have been sent to the CAR; the peacekeepers have been unable to stop the violence

The United Nations and European Union have both pledged to provide more troops

Mainstream media has essentially ignored the approaching genocide, thus the general public has no knowledge of the events in the Central African Republic

Forces coming in to handle the genocide

Applying the Lessons

In order to find an appropriate solution to the approaching genocide in the CAR, the lessons of history must be applied

Lesson #1- The United Nations must make sure that propaganda does not inflame the feelings of the people so that the genocide does not worsen

Lesson #2- Mainstream media needs to report on the event so that the general public is aware of the genocide; when this happens, the genocide in the CAR will become an international priority

Applying the Lessons

Lesson #3- The peacekeeping forces need to put emphasis on making sure that a specific group of people is not targeted; Muslims and Christians have already begun to target each other, so the peacekeepers need to try to reverse this

Lesson #4- The world needs to keep in mind that genocide can spiral out of control quickly, so this problem must be handled before it gets worse

A dove, one of the most well-

known symbols of peace

Applying the Lessons

Lesson #5- The United Nations needs to restore political stability to the Central African Republic; furthermore, the United Nations needs to foster economic growth within the CAR; ethnic differences between the Christians and Muslims must be solved- compromise is necessary

Lesson #6- (similar to lesson #2), the issue of the approaching genocide needs more attention and much more coverage by the mainstream media

Mainstream media

What Can You Do?

As an individual, you cannot solve a nation’s economic problems or ethnic differences

There is one major thing you can do, though- demand attention to the problem

Write to your Congressman, post a video on YouTube, contact you local media, stage a meeting- all of these are possible actions that you can take to bring light to the approaching genocide in the CAR

As an individual, the most important thing you can do is bring attention to the problem

The Future of the CAR

With enough support and attention, hopefully, governments will attack the approaching genocide in the Central African Republic as a serious problem; then, necessary steps can be taken to prevent the genocide, resulting in a more stable Central African Republic

Genocide may be on the horizon for the Central African Republic, but if the proper lessons are heeded, the genocide will not occur and the Central African Republic will move into a brighter future

People of the Central African Republic

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Symbol of Peace. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://voiceseducation.org/sites/default/files/images/dove_of-peace_21.jpg>.

Watkins, Tom. Digital image. CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 21 May 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/01/world/africa/central-african-republic/>.