Darfur Conflict, 2003-Present

Category: Genocide

The Janjaweed and Sudanese government has continued to kill many in the entire Darfur region. Many of these targets include civilians of non-arab backgrounds.
The Sudanese government has also greatly acted against Darfur's sedentary farming population by direct violence, disease and starvation. This is all still continuing in our present day.

Estimated Death Toll(Currently):
200,000-400,000 dead and 2,500,000 refugees, confirmed by several sources (BBC, Savedarfur.org, wikipedia).

Victims: Ararian farmers, non-arabs, memebrs of the rebel groups. Many Darfurian civilians.

International Response:

There's been large debates on whether conflict in Darfur is a genocide
On May 2006, the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur was organized by United Nations which concluded that aside from the fact that there were crimes being committed in Darfur, there wasn’t any intention of committing genocide.

U.S. government, non-governmental organizations, and individual world leaders believed the Darfur conflict to be genocide. This was the first time in U.S. history that a conflict has been labeled as such while it was still going on.

Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (DPAA), states U.S.’s position on Darfur conflict being genocide. This asks the U.S. government to expand the African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur and give it more support. It directs government to assist the International Criminal court (which persecutes people guilty of genocide) to bring justice to the people guilty of war crimes in Darfur.

On August 31, 2006, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1706 which called for a new 17,300-troop UN peacekeeping force supplied poorly funded 7,000-troop African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeeping force.
On October 13, 2006 this law was passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Bush.

Timeline of Key Events in 2007 @ http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/policypapers/2007timeline/

Additional Thoughts:
It is unfortunate that the UN doesn’t believe the Darfur conflict to be a genocide, and this, unfortunately, is a very influential power. However, they are helping with the peacekeeping process by sending in troops and humanitarian aid. The support from the US and other governments is very vital at the time. Our country and many others should raise awareness on what's going on in Darfur, for many are unaware to the genocide. Getting support from other countries can greatly help the conflict and pressure the Sudanese government into ending the killings.

What needs to be considered and done to end the conflict:
A ceasefire between all parties. More humanitarian aid from all countries. China should use its leverage on the capital of Sudan and pressure them to stop the genocide. Bush and other leaders should make the genocide in Darfur a top priority. A effective and credible peacekeeping force needs to be deployed in Darfur to protect civilians.