By Yu-Lin Liao
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Steven Spielberg? Jurassic Park or Catch Me If You Can? We can think of dozens of blockbusters he has directed and produced. But how about Darfur? This is not his latest movie but a place in western Sudan where innocent people are being brutally murdered, children are starving to death, women are being raped, and genocide has been occurring for nearly five years. Spielberg’s name is linked to Darfur because he has been asked to serve as an Olympics consultant for China, and China is one of the main supporters of the Sudanese government. Under pressure from humanitarian groups as well as his Hollywood colleagues, Spielberg now is threatening to quit his post unless China stops supporting the Sudanese government and these terrible acts of genocide. Darfur, a piece of bleak land the size of Texas located in western Sudan, is the epicenter of this humanitarian catastrophe. The conflict began in 2003 when rebel groups representing non-Arab farming communities mounted an insurgency against the Sudanese terrorist government. This act was triggered by decades of famine, drought, desertification, and overpopulation. Instead of taking measures to relieve their citizens’ plight, the Sudanese government responded in a brutal way. The government armed and supported the local militia, “Janjaweed,” loosely translated as “devils on horseback.” Their members are mostly Arab nomads and they ride on camels and horses destroying non-Arab villages, raping women or taking them in as sex slaves, and murdering and torturing civilians. The government even joined in the attack with bombing and helicopter raids. The fight between these two ethnic groups has escalated into genocide and claimed as many as 400,000 lives and left 2.5 million people homeless. The numbers are still climbing fast, and the survivors are living in a hell on earth. Now the violence has even started to spread to neighboring countries. Since 2004, there have been numerous peace talks and peacekeeping forces have been deployed, but these efforts have all ended in failure. Humanitarian aid groups such as the Red Cross and the U.N. World Food Program have worked hard but can do little due to the volatility of the area and the obstructions of the Sudanese government. Sanctions and cease-fire agreements didn’t affect this regime a bit; civilians are the only ones who suffered. The Sudanese military even paints their attack aircraft white - the same color used as U.N. humanitarian aircraft - to confuse the villagers. Death is not the most horrible thing that can happen. Disease, starvation, and separation from family make living harder than dying. The government-backed Janjaweed even use rape as a weapon. In Sudanese culture, rape is taboo. Families often ostracize rape victims so a rape not only destroys the woman but also breaks up families and even communities. Even worse, women are being raped while their husbands and children are forced to watch. The impact and hurt is beyond our imagination. Journalists who try to get information are constantly being injured, kidnapped, or even killed. Genocide is not just a scene in movies. It is not some horrible thing that happened far way and a long time ago. Genocide is happening right now and while we are watching. It has been almost five years since our fellow human beings are being trampled while we live in safety and prosperity. But, on the other side of the world, what can we do? With advances in technology the other side of the world is just a mouse-click away. So don’t think your effort is just a drop in the bucket, your attention and action can really make a difference! Here are a few things you can do to help stop the genocide. 1. Find out more about the genocide and tell your friends and family about it. Help raise public awareness about this issue. 2. Contact the media. Tell them you want better coverage of Darfur. Stop putting up with junk journalism and demand in-depth news that really matters to our lives. 3. Support education and relief efforts in Darfur. Make a donation to the Red Cross, the World Vision Organization, or other humanitarian aid groups. Helping Darfuris in the most practical way is the least we can do. 4. Communicate with decision makers about the need to provide humanitarian assistance, protect civilians, stop the violence, and promote a solution to end the genocide in Darfur. World peace is not a cliché, it is what we really need right now. Don’t stand idly by while our fellow human beings are brutally murdered. You never know, someday you might need others to do the same for you. Find out more about the crisis in Darfur, go to www.africa-taiwan.org or www.darfurgenocide.org. a
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May 2024
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