The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas has created fury around the globe, especially in the Muslim world. A number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa saw some of the largest demonstrations in their history condemning the killing of civilians and children in the military operation.
The Middle Eastern media, such as Al Jazeera, covered the confliclt 24/7.
One has to wonder why the Darfur conflict has never received similar attention.
Even though millions of innocent Muslims have become victims in Darfur over the past six years, the fact that they are victims of an Arab regime seems to prevent the Arab public from even acknowledging the humanitarian catastrophe.
Throughout the Darfur conflict, the Arab League stood by Sudan and defended its dismal actions. When the International Criminal Court's prosecutor decided to seek the arrest of Sudan's president for alleged war crimes and genocide, the league called it an "unbalanced stance."
After the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, the Arab and Muslim world continued to support the Sudanese regime. Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian foreign minister, said his country "stands by Sudan with our heart and soul" despite the indictment.
In the aftermath of the Gaza conflict, however, the Arab League called on the UN to "form an international committee to investigate Israeli crimes in Gaza and set up a criminal court to try Israeli war criminals."
It is appalling that the people of Darfur, who have suffered unspeakable atrocities since 2003, do not matter to many in the Arab and Muslim world because their tormentors are Arab Muslims and not Jews or Christians.
The deaths of children and civilians in Gaza must be condemned in the strongest terms possible, but what about the innocent people of Darfur? They are human beings, too!
Click here to read full article in the Jerusalem Post or The Sudan Tribune
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Savo Heleta is the author of "Not My Turn to Die: Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia" (March 2008, AMACOM Books, New York). He holds an M.Phil degree in Conflict Transformation and Management from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Visit www.savoheleta.com for more info.
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Comments: 8
But, if help and reporters cannot get through more of the same will happen. If a reporter is guided to one way of thinking and what they show them, while there, that's what you'll see.
And America is broke and all other nations are building up the NUKES, and the demands against America is growing daily, so I just don't
think the US can do a whole lot-they've already spent trillions there in Africa on their AIDS epidemic, America MUST start to take care of their own defenses and people.
Blessings and best wishes - S.