The Darfur Genocide
In February 2003, two rebel groups from Darfur, outraged at the Sudanese government over excluding Darfur from North-South Civil War peace negotiations both politically and economically, attempted to overthrow the corrupt regime. The rebels failed, and the Sudanese government responded by unleashing the Janjaweed militia on the people of Darfur, most of whom had no association with the rebel groups. In the four years since, the Sudanese government has provided the Janjaweed with sufficient weaponry, from horses to helicopters, to carry out the genocide and has also hindered aid efforts in Darfur.

More than 450,000 Darfurians have died as a result of the genocide, either from violence, famine, or disease, and at least 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes. To put those figures into perspective, the population of Wichita is around 350,000, and the population of the state of Kansas is 2.6 million, but can you imagine the world merely standing by if the genocide were occurring here?

On July 23, 2004, the United States Congress declared that "the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide," marking the first time in history that an ongoing conflict has been labeled genocide. Secretary of State Colin Powell and President George W. Bush both publicly referred to the atrocities being committed in Darfur as genocide in September 2004 as well. More recently, in September 2006, Congress reaffirmed that "the genocide unfolding in the Darfur region of Sudan is characterized by acts of terrorism and atrocities directed against civilians, including mass murder, rape, and sexual violence committed by the Janjaweed and associated militias with the complicity and support of the National Congress Party-led faction of the Government of Sudan."

This rare recognition of an ongoing genocide presents us with the unique opportunity to come together as Kansans to help put an end to it. Targeted divestment from Sudan is the most powerful tool we have to stop the genocide, as Sudan has been historically responsive to economic pressure and as political pressure has had no effect on the Sudanese government's actions over the past four years.

Additional Resources: The BBC, NPR, STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition