The World's Watchful Eyes

Okay, so I've been an advocate for Darfur since I don't even know when... but I was a sophomore in high school (I know this because I can remember talking avidly about the issue to my boyfriend at the time while we crossed the train tracks on the way home from school. But we may have not been dating. I pretended to have to walk home a lot so that I could sneakily spend extra time with him. This was a digression... which will be over in 3...2...1...)

Anyway, the genocide in Darfur was what prompted me to want to take action against human rights abuses. It all started with a speech by Angelina Jolie, who was new to the UNHCR post and had just finished a multi-national tour to numerous third-world countries across the planet (including war torn Afghanistan, and post civil-war Sierra Leone). Her speech was on CSPAN, and I just remember feeling angry and appalled. She was speaking about an issue where (at the time) a million people were displaced and 100,000 had died. Those numbers have officially tripled (although unofficially, they have quadrupled... but not many agencies are publishing those numbers for some ungodly reason).

The genocide itself is government sanctioned, coming from Omar Al-Bashir and his cabinet. Of course, the militia get their guns from the Chinese, because China gets their oil from Sudan and that's just how trade works these days. Chalk it up for yet another reason we need another source of fuel- preferably one that doesn't fund mass murder. But alas, another digression!

Anyway, in August Bashir was brought up on charged by the ICC. At the time, no one reported this, with the exception of a tiny scroll on CNN that was about 7 words long. The amount of airtime the event received was less then the amount of airtime Chris Brown's rage has received in the last two days. This was absolutely infuriating to myself and anyone else who has been campaigning and petitioning to multiple governments since 2003 (or for me, 2005... I was late to the game. But not as late at the people who had to see George Clooney go on Oprah before figuring it out. God Bless Clooney AND Oprah for globalizing the issue the way grassroots agencies can't!). However, considering the first 5 years of the issue received (literally) 36 minutes of airtime on every American news station this sort of understated, ignorant reaction was expected.

At the time, organizations working closely with the issue reported that it would take six months to know whether the ICC would actually issue a warrant for Bashir's arrest. No leader of a nation has ever been arrested while in office (Charles Taylor, whose trial is ongoing despite his sanctioned atrocities taking place in 1980, was arrested after the fact). Well, the six months have come and gone, and there are whispers of the decision coming from The Hague.

The New York Times has reported that a warrant has been issued for Bashir's arrest. The reporter sourced lawyers and other individuals related to the case. Five hours ago, an official statement from The Hague denied these claims. Whether the New York Times was misinformed, or people related to the case spoke too early is unknown right now. Frankly, I'm prone to believe that the warrant has been issued. The 6 month period has ended, and Bashir has had the audacity to go up for re-election this spring. Better to arrest him at the end of this term than at the beginning of the next one (because we all know, that elections in Africa don't actually elect new leaders, they merely get rigged so that a pre-determined winner remains in office.. *cough* Mugabe *cough*).

The issue is that if Bashir is arrested, the backlash on the people of Darfur, the UN Peacekeepers (the few that were actually deployed), and Journalists could be severe. The restricted green cards that are allowing international aid workers into the country could be revoked, which would sent Amnesty, Save Darfur, and countless other agencies packing and would leave the people defenseless. Extra attacks on the men, women, and children of the region could increase (although statistics right now already declare that any woman above the age of two has been raped if they live in a camp, and because of this their husbands, fathers, brothers are disowning them because of cultural misunderstandings) and even more people could die. Personally, I worry because Sudan, China, and Russia are all allies. The UN would have a bit of a job going up against these three countries united, and the Vice President of Sudan said in August that if Bashir was arrested, a "war" would start.

Its difficult to know how to feel right now, as someone who is so close to this issue. I am relieved and glad that Bashir is being brought up on charges, along with multiple other leaders in this human rights catastrophe. But justice isn't what is realistically important right now. It's hard to point fingers and put someone away for an issue that is continuing as I type this, and has complete potential to get worse. The first priority of the agencies (and I agree) is with the people of this terrified region. When they are safe, and can return to where they called home to rebuild their lives... that's when this devastating chapter in human negligence and hatred can finally close.