Never Again Until Next Time

by Max May,

10A

                                   

The world was shocked when the atrocities of the Holocaust were revealed. The world said something like this could never happen again. The phrase never again was used. In 1994 the world let another genocide happen. In Rwanda over the course of three months over a million people were killed and once again the world said never again. Now in 2013 a genocide is once again happening. The senseless killings in Darfur have been ongoing since 2003 and there has been no major global effort to stop them. There has been mass exoduses as people flee and become refugees. Why does the world say never again if they never mean it?

Darfur is a region in western Sudan, it has been the site of an ongoing genocide against anyone who stands in the way of the government backed Janjaweed. The conflict started when rebels started to carry out attacks on government buildings. The Sudanese government responded  by bombing villages by air and then bombing

them to the ground. The Janjaweed carry out the ground attacks with weapons given to them by the Sudanese government. The Sudanese government denies any affiliation with the Janjaweed. According to the United Nations millions of people have been displaced by the conflict. (Hagan) All of those refugees have nothing left, they depend on the goodwill of

others to keep them alive.

Source: Worldwithoutgenocide

The reason why this is so important is every time a genocide happens the world turns their back on it and when it sorts itself out the world comes out and says whoops we messed up, it won’t happen again. Then it happens again and again. In 1994 the world knew about the genocide in Rwanda even before it happened and they did nothing to stop it. The world needs to stop letting genocide happen. The genocide in Darfur has been happening for 10 years and to this day there has been no global effort to put a stop to it. One of the most shocking things is the stories of brutality that emerge from Darfur. In the book Darfur Diaries by Jen Marlowe there are first hand accounts of horrific human rights violations. This is one of the most gruesome ones, “ The Janjaweed and the government rape girls. They cut the woman’s vagina with a knife. In Jebbel Marra, we saw a pregnant woman murdered by the Janjaweed. They cut her womb. There were twins, the babies were still alive.” (Marlowe 122) How could anyone read that and not want to put an end to the violence. Rape has become a part of life in Darfur. Girls as young as 4 years old are raped by the Janjaweed. There are horrific accounts of entire families of girls being raped while the males of the family are either forced to watch or executed. According to a CNN article “Some relief workers say that almost every woman living in aid camps has been raped or become a victim of gender-based violence. Many teenagers, while out running errands such as collecting firewood, are raped multiple times by militiamen, the workers say.” (CNN.com) There are millions of women in the refugee camps, if almost all of them have been raped then that means there have been at least a million rapes during the conflict. Imagine your sister or your mother or your daughter living under those circumstances. The world needs to take action.

The violence needs to end. There is no reason for the world to say never again anymore because they never mean it. The world needs to come together and hear the stories of the survivors. One way that you can get more informed is to pick up a copy of Darfur Diaries by Jen Marlowe. Inside the book are numerous first hand accounts of people who witnessed the atrocities as they happened. Nobody knows for sure how many people have died due to the conflict, according to BBC News the figure could be anywhere from 70,000 to well over a million. (BBC.com) The world does not need exact amounts, one death is one too many. Every single cent counts to the people in Darfur. Donate whatever you can spare, there are numerous reputable organizations that you can donate to. Start a club with your friends that meets once a week and organizes bake sales and other fundraising activities. Donate the money you make to the people of Darfur. The world as a whole is not going to stop Darfur but you as a single person can change the people of Darfur’s lives.

Max May is currently a student at Frank Mccourt Highschool in New York City. He has a deep interest in global events and plans on trying to make a difference in the lives of others.