Dafur

Darfur - Hope in the midst of struggles

Darfur Civil War image courtsey: i4donline.net

Africa’s killing field, probably a dried up lake can end the blood shed.

Notorious.

Central Africa is notorious for its backwardness like poverty, illiteracy, poor law and order, and lack of good governments. All sorts of sufferings a people can go through have been lavishly bestowed upon this unfortunate group of people who happened to take birth in the middle part of the ‘dark continent’. The present conflicts arise as poverty stricken people migrate neighboring places and face atrocities on way as well as in destination, one of the worst human tragedies are staged in the dark continent which is kept covered by a government which itself is a part in the ongoing atrocities.

Poverty, war and diseases!

Conflict in Dafur image courtsey: denix.osd.mil

The central part of Africa is composed of mainly five nations like Zaire, Sudan, Chad, Niger and the Central African Republic. As neighboring countries of Sahara Desert all are water-starved and plagued by fratricidal conflicts according to UN estimates during the last three years the number of human lives lost to these conflicts along with starvation-deaths and deaths due to diseases number more than 450,000!

The helpless ‘CAR’ and its people.

Dafur Crisis image courtsey: worldnews.about.com

The Central African Republic (as its name suggests it is located at the centre of the African Continent, capital Bangui) is endowed with a weak government that has no say beyond the capital and the rebel armies belonging to various ethnic groups go on looting and killing spree. Poverty and war drive its people to migrate to nearby area (Darfur is one destination). These migrants are sitting ducks to looters as there is nothing to defend them, even if not killed by warriors most of them die due disease and starvation on the way.

‘A promised land’

Dafur Sudan Map coursey: textually.org

As Darfur is a part of Sudan; that government is unfortunately a party in the ongoing conflicts; which lavishly uses its own military in the loot and kill operations. The Sudan government is also involved in covering up the operations of the ‘genocides and ethnic cleansing’ (as described by the US government) before the outside world. The Janjaweed armies belonging to the Arab Tribes consider these black African tribes as a ‘pest’ and go on eliminate them, Sudan thinks that what Janjaweed is doing their own agenda and turns a blind eye!

Janjaweed.

Genocide in Sudan image courtsey: civil-war.net

By obstructing journalists, killing or jailing witnesses and destroying all forensic evidences the government of Sudan is covertly joining hands with the Janjaweed (a tribal army formed of camel herding Arabs). Their joint mission is this to eliminate the black Africans who happened to be there and no one to protect them as they themselves are divided in to different tribal groups and the government of Sudan is of the view as these black people are no more required to consume the resources those are already scarce and fast depleting!

What about the population!

The Darfur is 493180 square kilometer in area and scarcely populated as people flock from one area to other (most of them get killed on their way by armies or diseases) no one has any scant idea of the exact population of this area!

The rebel forces constitute of ‘Sudan Liberation Movement’, ‘Justice and Equality’ and numerous gangs which have no particular names. Janjaweed is the main force of the Arab tribes that operates with the covert support of the Sudan Government.

Any light?

All these mentioned above pictures a dark image of the whole part of the land and the question naturally arises is this that admitting all these as painful let us know is there any light at the end of the ‘Central African Tunnel’? There is the latest satellite pictures have revealed that there exists a huge under-ground lake (almost the size of lake Eerie and once fed even the Nile with water). This subterranean lake dried up thousands of years back still has enough water to feed the entire population for a lot of years to come.

Water a pacifier!

The natural question is this that “hey what can water do when people kill each other”? When water is there people return back to their native land for farming and each tribe get engaged in farming and prosperity will lead them to lead a peaceful living. The war for scarce resources like water and food will stop. The Government of Sudan has expressed its willingness to drill areas as directed by the UN team. Central African Republic (the most impoverished one) also is to get UN assistance to drill for water and it is hoped that without delay there may be farming in place of killing.

Kalashnikov or plough?

Dafur Refugee Camp image courtsey: textually.org

If the water drawing program of the UN fructifies tribes could return to their original settlements and get engaged in the job they used to be. The looters who roam on camel back with kalashnikovs may not get migrating and helpless people to be looted in the name of ethnic difference. It is hoped that prosperity will return to this part of the land which has seen enough blood shed and enough deaths due to diseases.