U.S. Envoy Gration Denies Present-Day Conflict in Darfur as “Genocide”

June 17, 2009

 June 17, 2009- According to multiple news sources, The U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, General Scott Gration, referred to the situation in Darfur in a U.S. State Department briefing as merely “remnants of genocide” and “unlike the coordinated effort [characteristic of the genocide] between 2003-2006”.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is very disturbed by Gration’s statements and find it extremely unfortunate that Mr. Gration was deliberately and intentionally, trying to undermine the Darfur genocide by describing the violence as merely a “usual conflict” and also comparing the genocide the dissimilar Southern Sudan conflict. Gration is clearly ignoring the massive killings, rapes, air force raids, and the Janjaweed attacks that plague Darfur daily, allowing the systematic destruction to continue in the region.

It is becoming increasingly apparent from such statements that the Obama administration’s promises to end the genocide in Darfur are empty. Instead, Gration, Secretary of State Clinton, Vice President Biden, and even Obama himself seem to be turning a blind eye to the situation while they enjoy the recent peace within the Southern Sudan region.  Gration’s statement that “violence in the south is greater than that in Darfur” seems unfounded in light of the recent ICC arrest warrant for President Al-Bashir in regards to the violence in Darfur that has killed over 450,000 people since 2003 and has destroyed countless other lives. Of course, the total causalities from 1993 up to 2003 are excluded from most data but amount to over 100,000 (Please visit www.damanga.org for more archived information and facts since the early 1990's).

It is very clear that this administration may have alternative motives: perhaps this double standard between campaign rhetoric and tangible action is rooted in religious motives (Muslim Darfur vs. Christian South), political interests (oil in south Sudan), or economic interests (once again, oil, China, and cost of intervention). As Darfuris, we are disheartened by the Obama’s administration inaction and cheap rhetoric.
 
Damanga hopes and urges Obama and his Envoy Gration, to reconsider their undermining statements concerning Darfur and restore justice to the Darfur region by enforcing the ICC arrest warrant for President Al-Bashir; their statements and inaction only allow the violence to continue. For real change to occur, Damanga urges that the following actions and policies be immediately implemented by the U.S., Europe, Canada, and the U.N:
 
- Immediate implementation of the UNSC Resolution number 1769 that has been passed since 2007 demanding the following:
 
-Deployment of 26.000 multinational peacekeepers to Darfur, with full mandate of chapter 7 to stop violence in Darfur and Sudan.
 
- Application of a non-fly zone over Darfur and Chad boarders.
 
- Disarmament of all the Janjaweed Arab militia killers.
 
- Application of a trade embargo against Sudan's import of weapons from China, Russia, India and other Arab countries.
 
- Sanctions against the Sudanese government, and companies doing business with Sudan. Force all American and foreign companies that
have standing business ties with President Al-Bashir’s administration to divest immediately from Sudan.
 
- The Freezing of all international assets of the Sudanese government and Janjaweed personnel.
 
- Support for the ICC work and arrests of those already indicted beginning with Bashir, Ahmad Haroun, Salih Kusheeb.
 
- Return of the lands that were confiscated by the Sudanese government and given to recruited Janjaweed militiamen to their Darfuri owners.
 
- Security for the safe return of IDP's and Refugees so that they may go back home to rebuild their villages, schools and other facilities.