Genocide, Part II | Journeys towards Justice

Genocide, Part II

I’m pretty upset right now. I’m angry, and I usually don’t get this fired up about things. In fact, I’m so angry that I feel like punching a wall or screaming from frustration. But I know anger leads to nothing, so here I am channeling that anger into a blog post.

Yesterday, as is common knowledge by now, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity (notably, genocide wasn’t included).

Immediately afterwards, Al-Bashir began expelling aid groups and NGOs from Sudan. He’s moved against about 10 foreign aid agencies so far, which provide essential aid to about 2.7 million people who are homeless due to the war in Darfur, and help to reconstruct South Sudan after decades of civil war. The expelled organizations include Oxfam, which provides humanitarian aid to about 600,000 people; Doctors Without Borders France and Holland, providing medical care to over 200,000 patients; and other organizations like the Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children UK, Care, Action Contre La Faim, the International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps. Change.org has an excellent post about how many people will be affected as a consequence. The organizations were told to leave the country within 24 hours, having had their registrations revoked and some assets seized.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that “this represents a serious setback to lifesaving operations in Darfur,” according to his spokeswoman.

Seriously? That’s a vast understatement! This is not a “setback” but Genocide, Part II. So many who were depending on aid agencies for everyday needs will now be left in the dust. Millions of lives will be affected, and I don’t think its anything short of genocide. And the worst of all? It has all been set off by the ICC’s indictment of Al-Bashir. The ICC comes in with the noble goal of “justice for all” and with the idea that even amidst a complex conflict, such an arrest warrant is good for the country. There have been so many debates about the ICC and its negative effect on the ground. There are many arguments that justice doesn’t impede peace, and is absolutely necessary. This is true, but this latest backlash confirms my view — we have to consider, realistically, the lives that will be affected on the ground — before pursuing grandiose visions of justice. Peace and justice go together. True, in the long run. But by failing to seriously consider ongoing conflicts and attempts for peace – justice, too, can fail.

Ankur

Just out of curiosity…who exactly are you angry at? Are you angry at the ICC for issuing the warrant? Are you angry at Al-Bashir for expelling the aid groups and, more generally, perpetuating misery for much of the population there?

I think most people are angry about the situation in Sudan when they think about the majority of the marginalized and poor populations there. But what exactly are the root causes of that situation? How much does international apathy and inaction have to do with allowing the situation to reach the point that it has now…and what duty do we (meaning the global north including the U.S.) collectively have in this situation? I don’t know…but I wonder what you think?
Ankur

Just out of curiosity…who exactly are you angry at? Are you angry at the ICC for issuing the warrant? Are you angry at Al-Bashir for expelling the aid groups and, more generally, perpetuating misery for much of the population there?

I think most people are angry about the situation in Sudan when they think about the majority of the marginalized and poor populations there. But what exactly are the root causes of that situation? How much does international apathy and inaction have to do with allowing the situation to reach the point that it has now…and what duty do we (meaning the global north including the U.S.) collectively have in this situation? I don’t know…but I wonder what you think?
http://akhila.wordpress.com/ Akhila

When I wrote this post, I was definitely angry. I was angry that the situation turned out the worst possible way, and more than anything I was angry that the ICC doesn’t seem to be working time after time. Now that I think about it, I’ve been all along hoping – probably too optimistically – that the ICC will have a positive impact.. The fact that it’s not has disappointed and angered me. However, I shouldn’t have been angered by the situation – I should have expected it. Because it was clear that Al-Bashir was going to try to act in some way to attempt to cause the UN to negotiate with him and delay the arrest warrant. I should really have expected it, so the anger was mostly unwarranted.

But you’re right. What I realize now is that my anger in this post about the situation did nothing to offer concrete solutions. Rather than simply get angered and fired about something we have to take action. So here are the steps we should take:

“The first step is to insist that aid groups be reinstated immediately to prevent this genocide in slow motion. A second step could be to destroy one of Mr. Bashir’s military planes with a warning that if he takes his genocide to a new level by depriving Darfuris of food and medical care, he will lose the rest of his air force.” — Nick Kristof: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/opinion/05kristof.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

Kristof also states:
- President Obama, Gordon Brown have to work with Arab countries like Qatar who want to help
- Countries like the US need to urge China to stop supplying arms to Sudan and stop training the military pilots used by Al-Bashir to attack civilians.

The West intervened too little, too late in Rwanda and look what happened. You’re right. So much can be averted if we translated this anger into action. Obama needs to do something about this.

Another great relevant post: http://genocide.change.org/blog/view/mr_obama_darfur_is_on_your_watch
http://akhila.wordpress.com Akhila

When I wrote this post, I was definitely angry. I was angry that the situation turned out the worst possible way, and more than anything I was angry that the ICC doesn’t seem to be working time after time. Now that I think about it, I’ve been all along hoping – probably too optimistically – that the ICC will have a positive impact.. The fact that it’s not has disappointed and angered me. However, I shouldn’t have been angered by the situation – I should have expected it. Because it was clear that Al-Bashir was going to try to act in some way to attempt to cause the UN to negotiate with him and delay the arrest warrant. I should really have expected it, so the anger was mostly unwarranted.

But you’re right. What I realize now is that my anger in this post about the situation did nothing to offer concrete solutions. Rather than simply get angered and fired about something we have to take action. So here are the steps we should take:

“The first step is to insist that aid groups be reinstated immediately to prevent this genocide in slow motion. A second step could be to destroy one of Mr. Bashir’s military planes with a warning that if he takes his genocide to a new level by depriving Darfuris of food and medical care, he will lose the rest of his air force.” — Nick Kristof: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/opinion/05kristof.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

Kristof also states:
- President Obama, Gordon Brown have to work with Arab countries like Qatar who want to help
- Countries like the US need to urge China to stop supplying arms to Sudan and stop training the military pilots used by Al-Bashir to attack civilians.

The West intervened too little, too late in Rwanda and look what happened. You’re right. So much can be averted if we translated this anger into action. Obama needs to do something about this.

Another great relevant post: http://genocide.change.org/blog/view/mr_obama_darfur_is_on_your_watch
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