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A Continent in Flames
Author: BobR
Date: 03/06/2009 13:39:53
When an airplane crashes in the U.S., the news coverage is nonstop with constant angst and human pathos stories of those lost so suddenly. When a bomb explodes in Israel, we are horrified. When a planeload of Americans was crashed into the WTC on 9/11 killing less than 4000 people, it was the event that "changed everything" (regarding the Constitution and presidential powers - it certainly did).
And yet - some of the most horrific things going on in the world, comparable in scale and scope to the Nazi's most inhumane excesses in WWII, are occurring in Africa, and most people in the U.S don't know or don't care (or both). Pick nearly any country on that poor continent, and you'll find despotic rule, rape, torture, militias, and terrorism. I'll pick two: Sudan and the Congo.
I wonder how many people are aware that the ICC in the Hague has issued an arrest warrant for the leader of Sudan?:
What sort of crimes would warrant such an action from the ICC? Sudan has been running a genocide campaign against its own people. This campaign has resulted in 400,000 deaths and 2,500,000 refugees. As bad as this is, it's about to get worse. In retaliation for the action by the ICC, Sudan has expelled the aid agencies that have kept those refugees fed. Without the aid, they may all starve to death:
In an action both infuriating, and yet - not unexpected - China has voiced opposition to the ICC warrant, because they say it interferes with relief efforts. Let THAT be a lesson to petty tyrants everywhere. Hold enough of your own people hostage, and you can get away with anything.
In neighboring Congo, we can see that things have not improved significantly since I wrote about the horrific conditions there over a year ago. Rape is still being used as a weapon of war. HBO has released a documentary about it, and organizations are trying hard to make the staggering magnitude of the problem known. And yet - it is rarely discussed or reported in the news. Does the word "rape" make people uncomfortable? It should - especially when multiplied by hundreds of thousands.
The situation in the Congo is arguably worse than Sudan, because the violence is driven by small warring militias instead of being instituted by the government itself. Regardless, the government is still culpable for war crimes and the ICC has succeeded in arresting and charging former VP Jean-Pierre Bemba. In fact, they are considering new charges against him:
Sadly, this is only tangentially related to the violence occurring now, and unlikely to alleviate the suffering of the people there.
There should be discussions every night on the news about this. There should be debates on what to do. Why is this not being discussed? Because it's not being reported. Why is it not being reported? Where is the outrage?
Let's see... um....
Oh yeah - they're black.
A white girl disappears in Aruba, and the networks breathlessly report every detail. Was it the guy from Europe? How could he have disposed of the body? Was she - *gasp* - raped?? Yet hundreds of thousands of young girls and older women have been raped in the Congo and it's hardly mentioned. A Hitler-esque genocide is occurring in Sudan and we shake our collective heads, say "that's a shame - someone should do something about that", and then go about our lives.
When will Americans realize that ALL lives have equal worth? Neither one's nationality by accident of birth, nor their wealth, nor intelligence, nor race make their suffering or death any more or less important or real than anyone else's. Our xenophobic blinders to the world outside our borders have real consequences. Inaction is tacit support to those who do evil. Silence equals death.
Half a world away, a continent burns with war and genocide and suffering, and we sit in the darkness, blind to the flames.
It's a shame - someone should do something about that...
And yet - some of the most horrific things going on in the world, comparable in scale and scope to the Nazi's most inhumane excesses in WWII, are occurring in Africa, and most people in the U.S don't know or don't care (or both). Pick nearly any country on that poor continent, and you'll find despotic rule, rape, torture, militias, and terrorism. I'll pick two: Sudan and the Congo.
I wonder how many people are aware that the ICC in the Hague has issued an arrest warrant for the leader of Sudan?:
The International Criminal Court has ordered the arrest of Sudan's president, but even the court's most ardent supporters concede it will be a long time before he appears in the dock -- if he ever does.
As a legal expert for New York-based Human Rights Watch, Richard Dicker, noted this week, the "Achilles heel" of the ICC is that it has no police force to carry out its warrants.
[...]
In a statement on Wednesday accompanying its warrant, the ICC directed its registrar to send Khartoum a request to arrest and surrender President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
It also declared that under a 2005 U.N. Security Council resolution referring the Darfur issue to the ICC, Sudan is obligated to cooperate with the court even though it is not a party to the Rome statute that created the tribunal.
But in reality no one expects Sudan to hand over Bashir, who has been executive ruler of the country for more than 15 years, absent major political changes in the country.
What sort of crimes would warrant such an action from the ICC? Sudan has been running a genocide campaign against its own people. This campaign has resulted in 400,000 deaths and 2,500,000 refugees. As bad as this is, it's about to get worse. In retaliation for the action by the ICC, Sudan has expelled the aid agencies that have kept those refugees fed. Without the aid, they may all starve to death:
Catherine Bragg, the U.N.'s deputy emergency relief coordinator, said the organizations are responsible for "at least half" of the humanitarian operations in Darfur and are vital partners for U.N. agencies in delivering food, providing health care, water, education and other services.
"With the loss of these NGOs, 1.1 million people will be without food aid, 1.1 million will be without health care, and over 1 million will be without potable water," she said.
In an action both infuriating, and yet - not unexpected - China has voiced opposition to the ICC warrant, because they say it interferes with relief efforts. Let THAT be a lesson to petty tyrants everywhere. Hold enough of your own people hostage, and you can get away with anything.
In neighboring Congo, we can see that things have not improved significantly since I wrote about the horrific conditions there over a year ago. Rape is still being used as a weapon of war. HBO has released a documentary about it, and organizations are trying hard to make the staggering magnitude of the problem known. And yet - it is rarely discussed or reported in the news. Does the word "rape" make people uncomfortable? It should - especially when multiplied by hundreds of thousands.
The situation in the Congo is arguably worse than Sudan, because the violence is driven by small warring militias instead of being instituted by the government itself. Regardless, the government is still culpable for war crimes and the ICC has succeeded in arresting and charging former VP Jean-Pierre Bemba. In fact, they are considering new charges against him:
The prosecution is seeking to hold Bemba criminally responsible for five counts of war crimes and three counts of crimes against humanity including rape, torture and murder, committed on the territory of Central African Republic from October 2002 to March 2003.
Sadly, this is only tangentially related to the violence occurring now, and unlikely to alleviate the suffering of the people there.
There should be discussions every night on the news about this. There should be debates on what to do. Why is this not being discussed? Because it's not being reported. Why is it not being reported? Where is the outrage?
Let's see... um....
Oh yeah - they're black.
A white girl disappears in Aruba, and the networks breathlessly report every detail. Was it the guy from Europe? How could he have disposed of the body? Was she - *gasp* - raped?? Yet hundreds of thousands of young girls and older women have been raped in the Congo and it's hardly mentioned. A Hitler-esque genocide is occurring in Sudan and we shake our collective heads, say "that's a shame - someone should do something about that", and then go about our lives.
When will Americans realize that ALL lives have equal worth? Neither one's nationality by accident of birth, nor their wealth, nor intelligence, nor race make their suffering or death any more or less important or real than anyone else's. Our xenophobic blinders to the world outside our borders have real consequences. Inaction is tacit support to those who do evil. Silence equals death.
Half a world away, a continent burns with war and genocide and suffering, and we sit in the darkness, blind to the flames.
It's a shame - someone should do something about that...
