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Sudan and the Darfur Crisis, 11/1/08
Overview:
Join Active Minds for a discussion of the genocidal crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan and the separate, but related, decades old Sudanese civil war. We will examine the origins and current status of the conflicts, including the role of colonialism, tribal ethnicity and religion. We will also look at the international response, or lack thereof, and the prospects for peace in the region.
Key Lecture Points:
Since 2003, the government of Sudan has been in conflict with the people in its western region, Darfur. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000-400,000 Western Sudanese and created over 2 million refugees. With the crisis deepening, some (including former US Sectary of Sate Colin Powell) accuse the Sudanese government of genocide. Given that conflict has taken place within the borders of a sovereign nation, the UN has struggled to put pressure upon Sudan to address the suffering within Darfur. This is further complicated by the fact that President Omar al Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
From its independence in 1956 until the relatively recent past, the clash between Northern Sudan (Arab Muslim) and Southern Sudan (Black African Christians and animist) dominated the political landscape of the country. The most recent N-S civil war ran from 1983 until 2004, killing an estimated 2 million people. In 2004 the US helped broker a peace agreement, hinging upon a power sharing agreement signed by President Bashir and the South Sudanese rebel leader John Garang. Part of the peace agreement is a South Sudanese referendum on independence, scheduled for 2011. While the future of that agreement was cast into doubt by the accidental death of John Garang in August 2005 in a helicopter accident, today the civil conflict appears to have (at least temporarily) ceased.
That said, there are still significant tensions between the North and South. In 2008, the oil-rich town of Abyei which lies on the border between North and South, exploded in violence. Additionally, in October of 2008, the BBC reported that it had discovered evidence of heavy arms shipments into both North and South Sudan, in apparent violation of the peace agreement of 2004.
Exploration Questions:
What is the best way for international institutions like the UN to intervene in the Darfur conflict?
What complicates matters when it comes to addressing the crisis in Darfur?
What should the next President of the United States do?
Reflective Questions:
Many Sudanese received asylum in the US during the North-South Sudan war. Have you or someone you know had any contact with anyone from Sudan?
The land of Sudan is remarkably diverse. What images come to mind when you hear about Sudan?
More to Explore:
BBC Coverage of the Conflict in Darfur: http://news.bbc.co.uk
CIA World Factbook on Sudan: www.odci.gov
International Criminal Court Documents on Darfur: www.icc-cpi.int
Books For Further Reading:
Cheadle, Don, Prendergast, John. Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. Hyperion, 2007. 252 pages. Shocked and enraged by the ongoing genocide in Darfur, actor Cheadle teamed up with leading activist Prendergast to focus the world's attention on the suffering and violence there and offer six strategies readers themselves can implement to help make a difference in the fate of a nation. Click here to order.
Collins, Robert O. A History of Modern Sudan. Cambridge University Press, 2008. 360 pages. Robert Collins, a frequent visitor and veteran scholar of the region, traces Sudan's history across two hundred years to show how many of the tragedies of today have been planted in its past. Click here to order.
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