Written by Jerry Robinson
Originally Posted on 6/1/2007
History Repeats Itself
In April 1994, the world learned a hard lesson in Rwanda when 800,000 people were slaughtered in less than 100 days. The brutality was immense and the death toll staggering. The international community swore “never again.” Today, however, the lesson learned in Rwanda appears to go unheeded an estimated 400,000 people have been murdered in Darfur, Sudan. The genocide in Darfur has left at least 4 million people hungry or starving. Thousands of villages have been destroyed leaving 2.5 million people homeless, including 500,000 children. Sudanese children are kidnapped, raped and forced to join the rebel movement daily.
And the genocide continues… According to recent reports, nearly 500 people are slaughtered each day. 3,500 per week. That’s a new 9/11 holocaust every week in Sudan.
By All Accounts: Genocide
In an Arab-dominated country, in which 70% of the population are Sunni Muslims, Darfur's population is mostly black African. The mass killing, rape, and kidnapping of Darfur’s residents began as early as 2003 and was denounced in 2004 by the U.S. House of Representatives as “genocide.” Who is behind the violence? The Islamic violence has been described well by SaveDarfur.org: “Sudanese armed forces and Sudanese government-backed militia known as “Janjaweed” have been fighting two rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).”
While the Sudanese government denies any involvement with the violence, the “Janjaweed” militia have documented ties and connections to the Sudanese government. Therefore, many view the genocide as “ethnic cleansing” condoned, if not empowered, by the Sudanese government through the guise of independent militias.
Despite international pressure, the Sudanese government has resisted any intervention by the United Nations. Sudan has stated that any intrusion by the U.N. would violate their country’s independence and sovereignty. Despite this, the African Union has ordered 7,000 troops into the area. And in August 2006, the U.N. passed resolution 1706 which authorized 17,300 U.N. troops into the Darfur region. However, Sudan has rejected the presence of U.N. peacekeeping troops calling it “intrusive.” Amazingly, Sudan’s President to this day maintains that no genocide has occurred in Sudan.
Fittingly, the Sudanese government has aligned itself with such countries as China, Syria, Iran, Algeria, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and others. In May 2007, Amnesty International issued a report accusing Russia and China of supplying arms, ammunition and related equipment to Sudan. If one is known by the friends they keep, the Sudanese government is guilty as charged. The fact that anyone would attempt to deny the atrocities in Darfur is ridiculous. The genocide is internationally documented. In fact, anyone can see the devastation on the ground in Sudan firsthand using the satellite imagery publicly available on Google Earth.
The people of Darfur need your help. Christians make up a mere 5% of the Sudanese population. Despite this, church activity continues in the troubled region. They have cried for help and their cries have been ignored. As a free citizen, you can make their voice heard.
What can you do?
1) Pray for all Sudanese men, women, and children, including our precious brothers and sisters in Christ.
2) Give to, and pray for the continued safety of, the humanitarian aid organizations who are desperately trying to provide relief to the precious Sudanese people. (Ex. Franklin Graham’s Samaritan Purse)
3) Inform yourself of the genocide. Great resources can be found on the web. (Ex. SaveDarfur.org, Wikipedia, etc.)
4) Write to your congressmen and speak out for the Sudanese people. Click here to see where you congressmen stand on the Darfur issue.
5) Sign a petition demanding international intervention into Darfur.
Jerry Robinson is the founder of Jerry Robinson Ministries, a ministry devoted to taking the Gospel of Jesus' First Coming to the unbeliever, and the Good News of Jesus' Second Coming to the Global church. He is an ordained minister, writer, and speaker and holds university degrees in International Economics and Religious Studies. Additionally, Jerry operates jerryrobinson.org, an internationally known website that archives and analyzes global events through the lens of biblical prophecy.