Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Failing to protect the people of Darfur

Pope Benedict recently described the situation in Darfur as "a catastrophic, and sadly to say underestimated, humanitarian situation." But despite the high profile the atrocities of Sudan's most recent crisis have generated, the international community has thus far failed in its collective 'responsibility to protect' the people of Darfur, writes Justin Kilcullen.

Catalogue of human suffering
As Darfur enters its fifth year of conflict, the catalogue of human suffering endured by the people of that region continues to grow. Throughout the conflict, an estimated 200,000 have perished and over 2.5 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes and land, into overpopulated and insecure camps.

Rape has been used to terrorise the population of Darfur, with countless numbers of women and girls subjected to repeated and vicious attacks by armed militia. These attacks take place with almost complete impunity. A recent report found that the Government of Sudan is more likely to take action against those who report and document rape than against those who commit it. Read more >>>>>

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