Not on Our Watch

Genocide has been unfolding in Darfur for over three years. At least 400,000 men, women and children have been killed, and more than 2 million innocent people had fled their homes to “live” as displaced-persons elsewhere in Sudan or as refugees in Chad. More than 3.5 million men, women and children are now dependent on international aid for survival. It’s Rwanda revisited - starvation, rape, torture, maiming, and slaughter on a massive scale. I listened to one woman from Darfur describe the killing of 34 of the 38 children in one village school. By and large, the world has watched.

Since 2003, Sudanese armed forces and government-backed militia called Janjaweed have been fighting two rebel groups in Darfur. The rebels are trying to force the Sudanese government to deal with underdevelopment in the region. In response, government armed forces and the Janjaweed have attacked the areas and ethnic groups from which the rebels get their support. In addition to the killings, the government forces and Janjaweed militias have destroyed hundreds of rural villages, raped thousands of women and girls and maimed or disfigured countless people. I listened to a second woman from Darfur describe the Janjaweed cutting off the arms of eight children – to get their watches. By and large, the world has watched.

In May 2006, the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed by the government and one rebel faction. However, deadlines have been ignored and violence has escalated, with fighting between rebel factions dramatically increasing, which has effectively prevented any widespread humanitarian aid. In August, the senior U.N. humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, said the situation is "going from real bad to catastrophic," with government-backed militias still attacking civilians with impunity. Mr. Egeland has predicted that the killings could reach 100,000 a month. By and large, the world has watched.

The Bush administration has properly labeled these atrocities as genocide. Beyond that, the U.S. hasn’t done much. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has described the situation as “the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe.” Beyond a couple of resolutions, the U.N. and its member nations haven’t done much.

In July 2004, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1556, demanding that the Sudanese government disarm the Janjaweed, a demand reiterated in the May Peace Agreement. In August 2006, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1706, authorizing a strong U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur, a force that would take over for the under-funded and under-manned African Union monitoring mission that’s there now. Despite these actions, the Janjaweed are still killing civilians with the aid of the Sudanese government. By and large, the world is still watching.

The Security Council must immediately take the steps to actually deploy the peacekeeping force with a clear mandate to protect innocent civilians. Other nations and international humanitarian relief institutions must provide and ensure access to sufficient aid for those in need. The U.S. should spur the U.N. to act and must otherwise act consistent with it’s declaration that the unimpeded killing in Darfur is genocide. How can we and the rest of the free world use that most scurrilous label and then do nothing more than pass a couple of resolutions? The U.S. and its coalition partners in Iraq never accused Saddam Hussein of sustained genocide, yet we claimed to have sufficient reason to knock out the government of Iraq in a matter of weeks. I’m not suggesting an invasion of the Sudan, but some meaningful action has to be taken by the world community to make it absolutely clear that free people will not tolerate genocide in the 21st century.

“Never again,” said the Jews after the Holocaust. “Never again,” should be repeated by Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and other world religions and non-believers everywhere. But George Bush may have given us an equally appropriate, if not more appropriate, mantra for horrific events of this nature. I suggest it may be more appropriate because it speaks to personal responsibility.

Early in his presidency, President Bush received a report on the failure of the Clinton administration to intervene in the Rwandan genocide. On the margin of that paper Mr. Bush wrote, “Not on my watch.” Well, it is happening on his watch and someone may author a future paper on the failure of his administration to intervene in Darfur. The president still has the opportunity to avoid that judgment of history.

It’s time for all of us, who are collectively charged with the responsibility to be vigilant in guarding against atrocities that bear the seeds of genocide, to declare, “Never again; not on our watch!” Our voices should be heard in the White House, the Congress, the offices of the UN, NGOs, the editorial pages, the pulpits of churches, mosques and synagogues, and through organizations like Save Darfur – www.savedarfur.org.