The present and ongoing conflict in Darfur, on the extreme western side of middle Sudan is nothing new. Precisely what you currently see on the news has been happening through southern Sudan for decades. Cal Bombay has seen it from the extreme west of Sudan in Kurmuk, to the northwest of southern Sudan in places like Aweil, Nyamlel, Manyiel, Wunrok, Kajokeji, Yei and many other towns and villages.

It should be noted at Darfur is 99% Muslim, yet it is their central government from Khartoum which is promoting and covering up the facts about Darfur. Darfur is populated by black African people. They have stronger ethnic ties to Southern Sudan than they do with Northern Sudan – yet Darfur is a part of the Northern GOS administration.

The Secretary of State of the USA, by September of 2004 finally defined what is happening in Darfur as ‘genocide’. This has forced the United Nations to send in a team to investigate this allegation. Already, one team of experts from an independent human rights organisation has published their findings.

To qualify as genocide there are five criteria as determined by the United Nation. Any two of these criteria qualify as a legitimate charge of genocide. Sudan has been found clearly to be in breach of all five criteria. It is estimated by relief agencies trying to work in Darfur, that 10,000 or more every month are dying because of the attacks. Many die directly in the assault by northern forces. Others die of hunger and disease which increases rapidly in closely packed refugee concentrations.

Those of us who have been working in Southern Sudan (Now under the Government of the GOSS) for some years have referred to what is happening in Sudan as “creeping genocide”. It has resulted in the deaths of more than 2,200,00 in SOUTHERN Sudan alone. This has been by direct military attacks on cities, towns and villages, aerial bombing of the same and the rampaging of National Islamic Front (NIF) backed tribal militias throughout the south in early morning attacks on defenceless villages.

It was in these attacks against the south where the majority of men were shot, houses burned to the ground, women children and cattle stolen as booty and taken north. Women and children were sold as slaves and forced into the Islamic way of life. Old people who escaped death were left to fend for themselves. Youngsters who were fast enough were able to hide in the bush.

An account of this practice of slavery in Sudan can be found in the book, “Let My People Go!” by Cal Bombay. (See “Bookshelf” link)

What is happening now in Darfur is not quite the same as what had been happening for years in southern Sudan. Both North Darfur, and South Darfur, are geographically in Northern Sudan under the governance of the capital in Khartoum.

The killing and displacement is the same in Darfur. The horrors of, genocide, violations of human rights are exactly the same as have been in southern Sudan. The resistance army in Darfur is called The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) In the geographical south it is called The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/SPLM). In fact there were many factions from the south fighting against the north, and, unfortunately against each other as well.

Whereas the black African population in southern Sudan is largely Christian, in Darfur they are almost 99% Muslim. Thus you find an extremist Islamist Muslim government killing their own citizen of the north who are Muslims.

Why?

There are several reasons. They are Africans (black). They have had enough of the extremist demands of Khartoum, and they are in all likelihood living above vast reserves of “black gold” - oil. They have been marginalized with little or no development taking place. The lack of roads and bridges has badly hampered the work of emergency relief organisations.

There was also very strong indications that this war in Darfur was a deliberate attempt by Khartoum to divert world attention and pressure for a Peace Deal to be signed between the National Islamic Front, and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in the south. They wanted to derail the talks, and sabotage the Peace Deal.

Islamists in the north, including President Beshir, of Sudan have publicly announced their intentions of forcing Islamisation and Arabisation on the whole African continent.

El Q’aida is part and parcel of this plan.