Transcript Genocide in Rwanda and Events in the Sudan: “Not on Our Watch” What can YOU do to prevent this?

Genocide in Rwanda and Events
in the Sudan: “Not on Our
Watch”
What can YOU do to prevent this?
“Genocide”
• Acts committed with the intent to destroy
(in whole or in part) a group of people
based on a specific characteristic of the
group (such as race, religion, ethnicity)
• What examples of genocide in the 20th
century can you name?
Genocide Convention 1948
• “Any of the following acts
committed with intent to destroy,
in whole or in part, a national,
ethnical, racial, or religious group,
as such: (5 ways)
Genocide Convention, etc.
• Killing members of the group
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm to
members of this group
• Creating living conditions of the group with the
intent to bring about its physical destruction in
whole or in part
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births
within the group
• Forcibly transferring children of the group to
another group
Rwanda Background
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Small country in central Africa
Most densely populated country in Africa
2 major ethnic groups: Hutu and Tutsi
1994, after long period of planning, Hutu
majority launched an intense period of
systematic killing of schoolmates, friends,
and neighbors
How bad was it?
• In less than 100 days 800,000 Rwandans were
killed
– 35,000 were Hutus who tried to stop the genocide or
hide Tutsi friends/neighbors
• Nearly twice the population of Washington DC
killed in 3 months.
• Hitler’s Holocaust killed 12 million in 8
years…Rwandan genocide killed almost one
million in 100 days.
What went wrong?
• International community
abandoned Rwanda
–Why? Fear after Somalia in 1993
–Attitudes of indifference
Images from Rwanda
The Danger of Indifference
Want to read more? Books on
Rwandan Genocide…
“Not on My Watch…”—
President Bush
• Crisis in Sudan—Darfur Region
• Largest country area-wise in Africa
• Conflict started in February 2003: rebel violence
against Sudanese gov’t, but gov’t backed militias
(the Janjaweed) quickly moved against civilians in
the region
• Violence is ethnically-based: Arab Janjaweed
fighting against Black villagers (nearly everyone
is Muslim)
Results to date?
• Over 400,000 people
killed
• Over half the villages in
Darfur burned to the
ground
• Over 2 million people
displaced within Darfur
and 200,000 living in
refugee camps in Chad
• Rape has been used as a
weapon of war
Images from Refugee Camps
International Response?
• June 2005 World Food Programme of UN said
that 3.5 million people in Darfur need food aid
(over half population)
• Not enough $ received by int’l food organizations
to meet Darfur’s needs
• Sudanese government has allowed the African
Union to have “observer” troops in Darfur—not
very effective in preventing violence
Refugee problem
• This camp in Chad
was intended for 6,000
refugees
• It now houses 14,500
refugees with more on
the way
• Pressure on Chad
grows, water is scarce
Stories of Hope and Survival!
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Ambackar told me she wouldn't
forget the day she lost her youngest
daughter Sanabil. When their village
in Darfur came under attack,
Sanabil was nowhere to be found her mother thought she must be
dead. With her three other children,
Ambackar rode through the desert
on the back of a donkey. Five days
later, when she reached Chad, she
was reunited with Sanabil. The child
had been caught up in a fleeing
crowd and somehow made it to the
border alive. The whole village
crowded around Sanabil and kissed
her.
Helen Palmer, OXFAM Media
Officer shares her stories.
Stories of Hope and Survival
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Jamila is 17 and speaks beautiful
English. It was her favourite subject
at school in Darfur, along with
Arabic. Her dream is to be an
engineer one day. She's living in
Touloum refugee camp with her
three sisters and five brothers. "All
our animals are gone, our cows, our
camels, donkeys and goats. We
have no milk for the children. The
babies get sick here. They have
stomach ache, headache, malaria,
diarrhoea, measles. And for me,
there is no school."
Stories of Hope and Survival
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I met these two young girls in
Breidjing - the worst refugee camp
in Eastern Chad. I don't know their
names or their stories as I wasn't
with a translator when I met them.
They were living in appalling
conditions and yet they managed to
be so beautiful and full of fun as
they posed for the camera.
Oxfam is currently working to
provide emergency water and
sanitation in Chad and Darfur in
Sudan. Make a donation to support
this work.
January 2011: South Sudan
Created
• In January 2011, the people living in Sudan
voted for South Sudan to secede from
Sudan.
• Conflict over border rights and resources
like oil still exists, and Sudan and South
Sudan have a long way to go before peace is
achieved.
What if instead of mourning a
genocide, we could stop one?
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What can YOU do?
National Level?
State level?
Local level?
“Think globally, act locally!”
How can YOU get involved?
• Through churches, state, local governments
• Visit www.savedarfur.org to learn more
about the current conflict in Sudan and
South Sudan
• Write a letter to our Congressional
Representatives: Marcy Kaptur, George
Voinovich, Sherrod Brown—urge them to
push Congress for Action
What else can you do?
• Spread the word about Darfur!
– Write an article in the school paper
– Get your church involved in collecting food and
supplies for refugees
– Encourage our UN Ambassador to make ending the
violence in Darfur a priority
– Get student council involved! Talk to your
representatives: create awareness, raise money for food
and supplies, have a food/clothing drive
“Not on Our Watch”
• Other things you can do?
– Create flyers/displays using images and
resources on Darfur to put around school (get
approved by Mrs. Bernard first!!)
– Organize a rally, vigil, or demonstration