Articles |
Intent to Destroy: The Genocidal Impact of Forced Migration in Darfur, Sudan
Independent Consultant, Washington, DC empatrick{at}gmail.com
The conflict in Darfur is now nearly three years old. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and millions more remain unable to return to their homes, living the barest of existences in remote and often under-stocked and under-protected camps. Displaced populations are subject to malnutrition, disease and ongoing violence. Rape and other forms of sexual violence remain a tool for instilling fear and controlling the civilian population. Yet international will to protect and assist the victims of the conflict remains weak, with governments and world bodies bogged down debating the definition of genocide and the proper venues for eventual tribunals. This paper will examine whether or not the conflict in Darfur does indeed amount to genocide, including a discussion of the role of forced displacement in reaching such a determination. It then looks at the 2005 findings of the United Nations-sponsored International Commission of Inquiry and discusses some of the reasons behind the international reluctance to reach a determination of genocide in the region. Lastly, it addresses the constructiveness of the genocide label in the context of Darfur, and presents options for moving forward with a protection agenda regardless of what the conflict is called.
MS received Feburary 2005; revised MS received August 2005
1 The de facto difference between ‘ethnic cleansing’, a term which gained stature during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, and genocide is also a topic of significant debate, but outside the scope of this article.
2 There are various assumptions as to why these four countries have been reluctant to condemn the government's actions in Darfur: China is the largest investor in Sudan's oil industry and may be concerned about setting a precedent that could affect its policies on Tibet; Russia is the largest seller of arms to Sudan and may be concerned about setting a precedent that could allow international involvement in Chechnya; and Algeria and Pakistan have cited Islamic solidarity as well as commonly-held concerns within the developing world about infringement on sovereignty.
3 In a 5 December 2004 op ed in the Miami Herald, US Congressman Thomas Lantos quoted military experts as suggesting that between 40,000 and 50,000 troops would be required for an effective protection force in an area the size of Darfur.