Genocide

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Saturday April 15, 2006 19:31

by Kathy Sinnott

After Hitler, we in Europe made a firm commitment that we would never allow genocide of a people for any reason: ethnic, racial, religious, political, historical...

As a secondary student, my classmates and I observed the 21st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz renewing the collective "Never again".

Soon after this commemoration in 1966, the war to eliminate the Ibo tribe from Nigeria began. My family had a Nigerian pen pal. We wrote and received letters several times a year. As 1967 progressed and no letter came, we worried. It was almost 1968 when a bedraggled aerogram covered in ink stamps arrived. "Dear Friends, I am an Ibo. By the time you receive this I will be dead." A. W. Obi, our pen friend went on to relate what he could of the deaths of family members, the destruction of the school where he had been a teacher and the massacre of his community. Through it all was a suffering defiance and an incredible expression of faith. He promised to see us in heaven. The Biafran genocide continued to 1970. Of course, as we decided that this would never happen again, we decided that it couldn't be genocide. The massacre was allowed to run its course.

The 30th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz saw the rise of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge. He also was allowed space and time, 1975 to 1979 to eliminate a quarter of the population of Cambodia.

Just short of the 40th anniversary of Auschwitz in 1994, we had the Rwandan genocide of the Tutsi by the Hutu. It lasted 100 days. It was quick, though Hutu needn't have hurried. No one was going to stop them. The United Nations who happened to be there when it started left them to it.

Last year we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and again we recommitted our selves to "Never Again". But while we were solemnly making this vow, the government in Khartoum was, through the Janjaweed militia, killing the people of Darfur.

Today the situation in Southern Sudan has become critical (if that term can be used to describe a situation that has been desperate since the beginning). The government is now funding the Lords Resistance Army " LRA" from Northern Uganda. Like the Janjaweed in Darfur, the LRA do the killing while the government claims to keep the peace agreement.

The LRA are only a small band so they are moving from village to village, killing the adults and taking the boys, forcing them into slavery as guards and child soldiers. The girls are stolen as sex and labour slaves and the "best" of the girls are sold, traded or given as "gifts" to the LRA's arms dealers.

It is planting season in Southern Sudan but those whose villages have not yet been destroyed are too frightened to plant. If they don't plant there will be no food and whoever manages to escape the bullet or the knife will starve. This is genocide. This is what we promised would never happen again, and again and again.

Last week we made an impassioned plea to the commission to use all the influence and resources of the EU to stop this genocide (after all we are constantly told that the EU grew out of a commitment to peace). The commissions answer was concerned, sympathetic and weak.., they spoke of rebuilding Sudan. But this will not help the next village to be hit.

I can understand a lame response to the actions of the Sudanese government. We have no real hold on them. They want nothing from us. They don't care what we say.

But we do have influence with China and Russia the supporters of Khartoum.

Will we put our romance with Chinese economic productivity and Russia's gas supplies on hold long enough to demand an end to the genocide in Sudan? That is what it will take.

Will we risk the supply of cheap fashion in our shops or risk energy shortages in central Europe?

Will we risk annoying our hosts on our next trade mission to China by mentioning their support for the Sudanese government? Would we consider this indelicate and counterproductive when discussing vital issues like shoe and car part exports?

We can get passionate when we challenge China on their disregard for intellectual property. Could we muster some of that passion for human life?

The EU will get its chance to rebuild Darfur and Southern Sudan someday after the population marked for liquidation is gone the way of the Jews in Nazi territories, the Tutsi, and the Ibo. But please, when the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz comes, let's not pretend we will never allow genocide again.