Daily Darfur: See No Evil, Hear No Evil?
Q: Who has the moxie to tell President Obama to control his emotions?
A: Abdel-Basit Al-Sanoosi, the "bilateral relations minister" at the Sudanese Foreign Ministry.
Speaking of moral ineptitude: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was not only welcomed in Qatar on Sunday, but was greeted with a hug and a kiss by the nation's leader. Bashir traveled to Doha to attend the summit of the Arab League, which begins today, and has all the makings to become a sideline genocidal cheer squad.
Indeed, Arab League support for Bashir seems stronger than ever --- with Arab leaders rushing to rally behind Bashir's anti-West rhetoric and conveniently ignoring the millions of Darfuri's still in the death trap of his brutal dictatorship. Cue Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem:
"What is required from all of us is to stand with our brothers in Sudan and its leadership in order to prevent dangers that affect our collective security."
Translation: "We are totally prepared to throw millions of people under the proverbial bus in order to prove some kind of ridiculous point."
Or: "Bashir has the political cover to do absolutely anything he wants in Darfur, and we will support him anyway."
It's like the worst case of "See no evil, hear no evil" imaginable --- though this eagerness to turn a blind eye to the damage Bashir continues to inflict on Darfur certainly does not translate into "speak no evil, do no evil." Quite the opposite, actually: As fears continue to mount over the possibility of massive IDP movements after such luxury items as water and food begin to run out, following the expulsion of the 13 largest humanitarian aid agencies earlier this month, the Friends of Bashir fan club has become active participants in genocide.
To reiterate the point of my post last week: You may have legitimate gripes against the West, but think about what it really is that you're supporting here.
Same goes for you, China.
China Friday called on the international community to "act cautiously" on the Darfur issue as it is afraid rash action could damage peace and stability in Sudan.
Curious to know exactly what "peace and stability" the Chinese are so worried about damaging.
Other items of note...
Last Thursday, the UN Security Council finally agreed on a statement appealing to Khartoum, oh-so-politely, to reconsider the aid group expulsions --- significant, in that the UNSC has previously failed to come to an agreement on such a statement. (Notably, Libya currently holds the Council presidency.)
The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) issued a statement on Friday criticizing the Sudan for the expulsion of aid groups from Darfur, and calling on the government to "assume full responsibility to protect its citizens regardless of origin, religion and political affiliation."
Some way, some how, some semblance of life as usual --- though with a slight twist: UNAMID peacekeepers airlifted examination materials to schools in North Darfur. (Even being an IDP doesn't get you out of finals.)
Michelle .
has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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