Its no secret Africa is a poverty stricken continent. Lives are lost not only to violence but to a lack of basic recourses. In some cases the government is the main cause of poverty.
Darfur, Sudan in Africa is currently in a state of genocide. People there are dying every day in the war between the tyrant government and its people. The genocide needs to be stopped.
According to World Vision war crimes have more than 2.45 million people into temporary camp and more than 200,000 dead. There are countless stories from refugees that have fled from Darfur.
The Greenhaven Press 2007 tells of an African woman who fled Darfur only after having her husband and sun killed. Then while fleeing, three young boys she was traveling with had been killed and their body’s mutilated. The government in Sudan is committing war as prohibited by the Geneva Convention.
One factor preventing action in Darfur is the fact that the United Nations declared that genocide is in fact, not occurring in Sudan.
According to the Greenhaven Press 2007, on September 18, 2004, the UN Security Council directed UN secretary, General Kofi Annan, to establish a Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to determine whether genocide had taken place.
The UN declared, “To be found culpable for genocide, one must commit certain criminal acts, such as killing or causing serious bodily or mental harm.” After the investigation the charges were absolved. The UN refuses to act in Darfur saying that genocide is not present.
It is now up to us to take a stand for what is right. Its time to put pressure on the UN to call it how it is. It is up to us to take action and show that we will not stand idly by.
Even if it’s is just helping out for a day at a local center such as World Vision, every bit counts. Small or large every donation helps whether it be time or money.
Maybe going a week without your morning Starbucks or holding off just a little longer on a new pair of shoes or spending one day of the month helping an activist group or even writhing an article to help spread the word about the genocide in Africa. Every step, is a step closer to peace.
Paul Guerrie is a student at Ponderosa High School in Parker.
