Genocide, by its very nature, is never a spontaneous occurrence and people need leaders to make them kill and turn them into perpetrators. Today, Darfur’s agony is thanks largely to the work of two men: Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and the leader of the Janjaweed, Musa Hilal. More than anyone else, these men can be held accountable for the extermination of the people of Darfur.
They remind me of Radovan Karadzic, president of the Republika Srpska, and his general Ratko Mladic and the death and destruction they brought to Bosnia in the early 90s. Karadzic and Mladic have been indicted for genocide and other crimes against humanity, but today remain at large. Why? Because to the Serbs of the Former Yugoslavia they are folk heroes. To live safely as fugitives amongst their own people is no challenge, especially when the rest of the world isn’t trying to catch them.
The killing in Darfur will end either in the destruction of its people or with some far-off peace. When it does, people will have to be held accountable for genocide. Will Bashir and Hilal ever see trial or a prison cell or the hangman’s noose? I doubt it. History doesn’t show a good record for bringing genocidaires to justice and these two and all of their servants will probably remain in power or live safely and comfortably among their fellow “Arab” Sudanese until the ends of their lives unless the world starts to talk about justice and mean it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment