Congo And Darfur: Why Isn't Something Being Done?

 

By Meghan Chavalier

April 17, 2009

Darfur is a region in Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur which are coordinated by a Transitional Darfur Regional Authority. Due to the War in Darfur, the region has been in a state of humanitarian emergency since 2003.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country (by area) in Africa.

 

Just because you don't read about the Congo and Darfur every day when you read the news on Yahoo, AOL, and Google doesn't mean a genocide isn't happening right now in both of these places.

Since the start of the Darfur conflict, about 450,000 people have been killed, and 1,000,000 people have been displaced.. In the Congo over 4 million people have been killed and the women and children of the Congo are continuously raped on a daily basis. It doesn't matter how young or how old these women are to the militia rebels who are raping them.

 

I realize that there are rules and regulations that have to be followed throughout the world, but why the hell hasn't the United States of America done anything to help save them? We can send our young men and women into Iraq to fight a senseless war, but we can't send them to Darfur and the Congo to help bring safety to these defenseless people? This is not a case of protecting American soil, this is a case of helping them survive. It is a case of humans protecting humans.

The numbers are staggering. 4.4 million people have died. That is the population of the entire state of Kentucky. Put that in perspective for a moment.

 

I'm tired of government officials saying we're in negotiations to resolve this crisis. Enough negotiations, send someone to help them.

Are the militia rebels negotiating when they kill and rape young women and children?

 

The next question we have to ask is are we not helping them because there is no oil to be found? Our government is not concerned with people it's concerned with money and oil and nothing more.

How many more people have to be killed? How many more women and children need to be raped before someone steps up and does something?

Enough talk, it's time for action.