Darfur: The Genocide That Has Yet To Be Called By It’s True Name
3 min readFeb 7, 2022
Courtesy of- VICE News
Courtesy of- Stop Genocide Now
Since February 23 2003 for nearly 20 years to be exact there has been genocide ongoing in the area of Darfur, Sudan. There have been over 3 Million Victims of mass murder, Rape, Sex Trafficking, Torture, implemented child soldiers, and various forms of barbaric violence HOWEVER the United Nations has of yet nearly 20 years later to declare these mass violations of human rights as genocide hence why when the region does receive media coverage it is referred to as “conflict” AND has to do with why the aid hasn’t been as plentiful compared to other known crisis that involve genocide.
Courtesy of- UNICEF
Courtesy of- Darfur Women Action Group
The reason there has not been a great many survivor stories placed into the public there are a few reasons. For one the same reason it hasn’t been declared Genocide and lack of media recognition. The land is of no political use nor power to the West or European… the same reason Rwanda was mishandled the way it was. It’s undoubted survivors would step forward if given the proper spotlight to do so. Hence partially why it has seemed to be vastly forgotten and has yet to be called by it’s true nature and term by the powers that be GENOCIDE.
Courtesy of- Al Jazeera English
Courtesy of- U&i Global
There has been little media coverage on the genocide over the past 10 years but it has far from ceased. There have been a few films a 2009 documentary called ,Darfur Now, that covers the scope of it.
Courtesy of- Take Part
And documentary in 2007 called ,The Devil Came on Horseback, but nothing more current.
Courtesy of- Dogwoof
The Darfur Sudanese area as well as the Congo are notorious for making use of child soldiers . These children are usually picked from the villages that have been pillaged by militias or military personnel. There is an artist and outspoken activist who is a former Child Soldier by the name of Emmanuel Jal. He presents quite well what being a Child of war is and what they endure hence why it is classified as form of Human Trafficking and Slavery. It goes without saying Girls and typically young Women are made into Sex Slaves for militias or “Bush Wives” if they survive attacks and rapes upon their villages being ransacked by perpetrators.
Courtesy of- Their World
There is also a fictional story called ,Beasts of No Nation, that is fairly accurate of what occurs in the lives of war children in these areas. Warlords ergo War criminals are horrendous beings that enact horrendous violations onto not only the populations they conquer but youths who are under their control as armed soldiers. Such Commander’s aren’t so different than a pimp, a labor trafficker, or anything of the sort ergo the probably deceased Warlord Joseph Coney to give an example.
Courtesy of- Journeyman Pictures
There is also a Preacher by the name Sam Childers nicknamed affectionately enough the ,Machine Gun Preacher, who essentially goes into the war torn areas of Africa to extract youths who are Child Soldiers and he has been doing so since the 1990’s. He provides the recovered children with a safe non exploitative environment IE Orphanages, etc. There was a 2011 film about his work and life titled of course Machine Gun Preacher.
Courtesy of- Machine Gun Preacher (Sam Childers)
