Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur - Essay Example

The situation has only gotten worse as time has gone on. Years ago, when the world first came up with a definition for the horrible crime of genocide, the global community promised to never allow it to happen again. However, the world stood by and watched as the Hutu and the Tutsi tore each other apart. And now today, the world sits by almost idly and watches as millions of people's innocent lives are affected by the horrors that are taking part in Sudan, Africa. However, even with all the reports and life changing images that are coming from this war torn country, the world sits off to the side. Various world leaders have already declared the situation genocide, but are still slow to act. Given the slow global response to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, the United States government needs to stop up and take action, and help the humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Darfur right now. The situation in Sudan is a complicated one, and one that will not easily be solved. Throughout the course of the years of violence, the situation has impacted the lives of millions of Darfurians. So far, "The ongoing devastation has killed an estimated 400,000 and displaced over 2.5 million Sudanese since February 2003", and the wide spread course of destruction is only going to continue unless someone steps in and takes action (Darfur, 2007). Just these facts only warrant intervention on the basis of humanitarian need, but these numbers alone are not the only reasons the United States should get involved in Darfur. In fact, the United States should have gotten involved in Darfur a long time ago, but still has decided to leave innocent people to die at the hands of a violent government. What kind of government do we have that can keep its blind eye turned for so long on the horrible actions of another government The United States needs to take immediate action to stop these atrocities from continuing to happen in Darfur, and stop more innocent lives from being shed for pointless reasons. The United States Department of State has given even higher numbers than the conservative estimates by the refugee agencies. The Department of States has released numbers showing that "4 million people have been displaced from Southern Sudan, with a total of 6 million displaced from the whole country, there are a estimated 220,000 refugees from Sudan currently living in Chad, 358,000 in other neighboring countries, and 170,000 refugees from other countries that are seeking home in Sudan" ( (U.S. Department of State, 2007). Many of these numbers could have been avoided if the United States has moved in to help Sudan, hypothetically speaking, instead of throwing ourselves into the quagmire that is Iraq. Or even if the United States has begun to put pressure on the Sudanese government earlier, we could see much lower death tolls coming out of the century's first genocide. Beside just the immediate effects of the genocide, if one were to look at the far reaching effects, one could find another reason the United States should step up and help Darfur. Another area of Darfur that has been affected is the education of the children. Once the warfare finally does stop, Darfur is going to need help in rebuilding and reeducating its children. Sudan has the lowest access to primary education in the world (UNICEF, 2005). Ninety-nine percent of women in Southern Sudan are illiterate and only seven percent of all teachers teaching Southern Sudan are trained to be teachers (UNICEF, 2005). As if those numbers are bad enough, only ten percent of girls ages 7-14 attend school, and fewer than one percent of girls complete primary education (UNICEF, 2005). Also, only Afghanistan under the Taliban had fewer girls graduating from primary schools than the few number of girls that are graduating from Sudanese schools today. The horrible things that are happening in Darfur are only going to have the ripple effect, and have a horrible effect on the generations to come. The United States needs to step in, not only to help the horrible things that are happening on the battle fields and to the innocent people, but to also help set up an education system that can help prepare Darfur for the future. If Sudan is not able to educate itself, it will be hard for Darfur to be able to heal and rebuild itself. Some people would argue that we should simply let the situation work itself out, or that it could possibly not go on for that long. However, this is simply not the point. The most recent problems started in Darfur in 2003, and the situation is showing no signs of getting better. In fact, "In the first two months of 2007, according to the UN, over 80,000 more people entered into the IDP camps, fleeing the ongoing violence. Both the UN and non-governmental humanitarian agencies have warned that their ability to sustain operations is at risk in the face of government harassment and worsening security problems. Any interruption in the flow of humanitarian aid could spark deaths on a scale even worse than that seen to date: UN officials say that the death rate in Darfur could rise as high as 100,000 people per month if the fragile humanitarian life-support system collapses. (The Genocide in Darfur, 2007). As one can see, this situation is not one that is simply going to heal itself, or a crisis that is going to go away anytime soon. In order for this situation to finally end, it will take action from an outside body, and the United States has the recourses and political power to help the refugees in Darfur and to help end the corruption of the murderous regime. Only then, can one hope to see an end to the tragedy that has been taking place in Darfur. Other people would argue that the United States has already done plenty to help out the situation by giving aid. Many people feel that simply giving aid and money to a war torn country is enough to help the situation work itself out. However, the United States has taken some action already, but this action has been insufficient in ending the genocide. The U.S. government "has failed to engage in a sustained and coherent manner to address and lead international resolution of this genocide. President Bush has given tough speeches, Congress has passed legislation authorizing stringent sanctions targeted at Sudan's leadership, and the Administration (usually only after Congress has insisted) has provided significant - though still insufficient and sporadic - funding for humanitarian aid and peacekeeping" (The Genocide in Darfur, 2007). Therefore, despite what action has already been taken, is it not enough, and more direct action and involvement is needed on the behalf of the United States government. Other countries are all ready starting to put more pressure on Darfur, and the United States needs to do the same. Tony Blair, Prime Minister, has spoken on several occasion warning Darfur to end soon, or "Great Britain, the European Union, and the United States will have to find other ways to end the crisis" (Bergman, 2007). However, the United States should not rely on another leader to speak for us, we should be able to take action ourselves. The "violence has escalated sharply in Darfur since the government and one rebel faction signed a peace agreement in May" (Bergman, 2007), and the world needs to take action to try to end these horrific events that are taking place. The United States is the world leader in foreign affairs and politics, and needs to step up to this role and help guide Sudan to a peaceful future. We should not rely on any other country to do so, and the call to do the right thing, as well as the Humanitarian call should be enough to get us to help the people of Sudan. In conclusion, it is simply not enough to send money or to keep giving speeches about how we are going to one day stop this situation. It is not a situation that is going to go away quickly or work itself out. In order for more blood shed to be avoided, the United States needs to take direct action and help our fellow people. There is no excuse for any government to sit idly by as millions of people are displaced from their rooms, and more so killed, tortured, or raped at the hands of an regime government It is the United States duty as one of the leading countries of the world to step up and help out Darfur, and it is our duty as people, and as fellow humans to help end the horrible genocide that has been happening in Darfur. The world promised we would never let genocide happen again after the holocaust. Let us not let it happen in Darfur. Sources: Bergman, Justin Blair warns Sudan to end attacks on Darfur refugees. (2007). Democrat and Chronicle, Heinemann, Bill. (Ed.). (2007). Darfur: The Century's First genocide UNICEF. (2005). Fact Sheet on Education in Sudan U.S. Department of State. (2006). USAID Fact SHeet; The Humanitarin Situatiion in Sudan (2007, June). Briefing Paper-The Genocide in Darfur. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from Save Darfur Web site: http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/policypapers/briefing_paper_the_genocide_in_darfur/ Read More