Genocide in Darfur and Political Turmoil

In the beginning of 20th century, the world stood by and witnessed 1 million Armenians brutally murdered by the Turkish government in the Armenian Genocide (1915-18). Almost half a century later, the Holocaust (1938-45) occurred in which 6 million Jews and other minorities were slaughtered in Germany by the Nazis. After this, the world’s powerful nations vowed to ‘never again’ allow another genocide and went on to create the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By the near end of the century, we were once again bystanders to the Cambodian Genocide caused by Khmer Rouge (1975-79) and the Rwandan Genocide (April 7-July 15, 1994) between the ethnic groups of the Hutus and Tutsi’s.

Entering the 21st century, the world has demonstrated that it will never learn from its mistakes by allowing another genocide to occur in Sudan. In 2003, the United States and the rest of the world heard there was fighting in an African region about the size of France, recognized as Darfur. Although most people were aware of the countries of Somalia, Rwanda, and South Africa, the Darfur region was unfamiliar to them. The United States however, were aware of Sudan when in 1998 “it launched missile strikes in its capital city Khartoum, due to Sudan’s alleged ties to al-Qaeda terrorists” (Hayes 2011: 4). The Genocide in Darfur instigated when Black African rebel groups protested against Sudan’s Arab-dominated central government, insisting an end to the social, economic and political downgrading of their area. The Sudanese government replied by supplying the Janjaweed, nomadic Arab outlaws on horseback, with weapons and they engaged in mass murder of Black African farmers. Many Darfuris have died and the genocide continues to this day. Wit...

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...ence to overthrow the military. Five years later in 1969, Colonel Ja’Far Muhammad Nimeiri, is successful in a coup d’état and is elected president 1983. Before Nimeiri comes to power, the Addis Ababa Accords of 1972 is established and grants South Sudanese the right to govern themselves. Upon assuming presidency, Nimeiri makes two critical decisions which will lead to his demise. The first is issuing an order to repeal the Addis Abba Accords, the southerners can no longer govern themselves, this results in the founding of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movements (SPLM/A). The second is introducing the Shari’s law, which many Muslims were against. In 1985, Nimeiri is impeached, Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi assumes power. Four years later in 1989, a small military army led by Omar al-Bashir once again coup al-Mahdi and in 1993, al-Bashir appoint himself president.