The Devil Came on Horseback

The Devil Came on Horseback - trailer



Check out the trailer for thee Hollywood production on the genocide in Darfur. The Devil Came on Horseback produced by Anne Sudberg and Ricki Strend was released in U.S. theaters at the end of this summer 2007. Rotten Tomatoes gave the documentary a 98% on the "Tomatometer," calling it "both a strong primer on the complexities of the situation in Darfur and a harrowing first-person doc."

This award-winning documentary debuted at Sundance Film Festival in 2007 at the Laemmle Music Hall. The Break Thru Films Production depicts the crisis in Darfur through the eyes of Brian Steidle. He was part of a the Joint Military Commission in the Nuba Mountains. They were there to oversee the ceasefire and he soon took the position as the Senior Operations Officer's Team Leader. He was moved by what he witnessed in Sudan and decided to spread the word. He has spoken at many conventions and public awareness events and is part of Global Grassroots Organization.

The film includes over 1000 of Steidle's pictures and allows viewers to experience the revelations that Brian himself had. It is a must see!

And All the While People Die

Humanitarian aid in Darfur is still under attack. Two more aid workers have been kidnapped and many more live in constant fear. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) intends to address this problem, but is this enough?

Humanitarian aid groups are threatened.

With the second incident of kidnapping of aid workers and the violence erupting in Darfur due to lack of supplies, humanitarian workers in the region are under constant threat and having a hard time providing sufficient aid to the people of Darfur. They are without sufficient personnel and funding, and are watching their collective efforts deteriorate before their eyes. If the situation is not addressed soon, there may be up to 1.5 million displaced people in danger of starvation and/or death by disease.

Currently, the aid groups are being blamed for collaborating with the ICC in its successful effort to indict Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan's head-of-state, on war crimes and issue a warrant for his arrest. This has led the Sudanese government to cease cooperation with international aid groups. They are delaying the acceptance of new groups and, indirectly causing the deterioration of an already unstable situation.

On the 4th of this month, two Aide Medicale Internationale workers from Canada and France were kidnapped at gunpoint. This is the second in what seems to be a series of abductions of aid workers. They were taken overnight from their compound in Ed El-Fursan. The kidnappers demand $200 USD for the safe return of the hostages.

The expulsion of the 13 groups and the threats to remaining ones has left the people of Darfur helpless and desperate. The international community has condemned the expulsions, but Sudan is unwilling to budge and does not seem to be caving to the pressure. If anything, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir is flaunting his freedom and his allegiances to the rest of the world. Yet again, he is allowing genocide by attrition to consume the Darfuri population.

What is the next move?

A U.S. Special Envoy was sent to the region to assess the situation. One envoy member, Scott Gration, said the expelled groups are not likely to return and that they need to focus their efforts in three ways:

• By building up the existing groups.


• Through recruiting and funding new groups, especially ones from Arab nations and Western Nations in good relations with Sudan.


• And by speeding up the visa processes for current aid groups applying to enter Sudan.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) announced on Friday that they have a plan to send "urgent and continued aid services" to the region. They plan to help rebuild the war-torn western regions and to help refugees return home. To accomplish this they want to coordinate cooperation between the Muslim NGOs in Darfur and the UN's expelled aid groups. There are 25 Muslim aid groups currently in the region that are based in OIC member countries. This is nearly 20% of all existing aid in Darfur, and coordination of this 20% with outside sources could produce very promising results. The OIC, however, is also in full support of Al-Bashir's defiance of the ICC. They believe it was a poor move on the international community's part. Hopefully their plan can make up for this divergence in arguments which has left a third party, the Darfuri people, caught in the middle and left in a very vulnerable situation.

Confessions of a Sudanese Soldier

Face to Face: Confronting the Enemy

"They are black; I am black; This shouldn't be happening." When CNN Senior International Correspondent, Nic Robertson, interviewed "Adam" a soldier for the Sudanese government's secret army, he found himself conflicted about how to feel about the man across from him.

This man, he knew, was responsible for raping and murdering the people of Darfur. The same people he and his colleagues had forced to relive their horrific experiences in the name of news and justice. This man was the enemy, but why did Mr. Robertson feel empathy for this poor soul.

Once you realize what these soldiers were put through, you may too. "Adam" and his fellow "black" soldiers were conscripted to the army in about 2002 unaware that they would be forced to fight people they felt closer to than those they fought beside. They were not paid and were made to believe they were only there temporarily. Many were collected at the local marketplace, given a Kalashnikov and told to fire at targets.

The Fighting Begins

When his commander announced that they would soon head off to burn and kill people, "Adam" began to realize what was going on. He finally saw what they wanted of him; they expected him to fight and kill people like himself for someone else to gain. By then, there was no getting out, because, at the same time, the commanders also announced that anyone who tried to escape would be killed.

"Adam" then moved on to a more grave topic. He discussed what happened in the raids. Men were forced to rape women and girls alike. He spoke softly of this, the only hint to Nic that the man did not like what he had done. He spoke of taking down his pants and just laying on a girl because he was unable to get it up. He spoke of watching men double team women as they cried out in fear and pain. In some of the camps correspondent Robertson visited, he was told that some 20 babies were born every month as a result of these rapes. Many of these children have been abandoned by their mothers, who could not stand to look at them without experiencing a flood of mental and emotional flashbacks of the terrible events.

Escaping the Army

At one point, "Adam" came very close to escaping the army but was caught. As a punishment, he was tied to a tree with burning tires hanging above him. He showed Nic the scars from where the melted rubber had scorched his skin. Eventually, however, he managed to escaped for good.

After leaving one army, he went to find his sisters and they helped him join the other. Knowing he came from the army they were fighting left his new allegiance suspicious of him. He was not allowed to fight for the rebels, and, instead, was forced to remain in the camp day in and day out. It was not until the camp was bombed that he even got away.

As much as one resents this man for his part in the destruction of the people of Darfur, one must also pity him for how much he too was fucked with. Can you imagine being forced to do such gruesome things? This is not to say that every "black black" fighter on the Sudanese side was innocent, but that the real criminal behind it all was the government of Sudan. These men were mere pawns in a greater game. They were disposable soldiers. Who is to say that the government was not specifically picking these men to literally KILL two birds with one stone?

The only people who really won in this war were those who sat back and watched. When will we finally hold those people accountable? It will be a glorious day when someone puts that ASSHOLE, Omar Al-Bashir, behind bars.

I am sorry for my inappropriate language, but this article has brought emotions out that I never knew I had in me. If this article doesn't make you want to get out and do something for the people of Darfur, then I do not know what would.

Gaming for Darfur

There is an interactive computer game called Darfur is Dying where the player is a refugee in a camp and has to complete certain tasks to stay alive and keep their community alive. Simple tasks like getting water are life threatening feats to these displaced Darfurians.

If you lose the game and are captured, the following window explains what might happen to you now. When I, the little girl character, was discovered in my attempt to get water for the camp, I was captured by militia. The folowing page told me that "Girls in Darfur face rape, abuse and kidnapping by the Janjaweed." Once you lose one part of a family, they do not return and you have to choose between the other members for your next task.

When you enter the camp itself, you are presented a welcoming page outlining the daily threats refugees there face. Inside the camp, you also have tasks to accomplish in order to keep the community alive.

• To feed your village you must water all the vegetable gardens by collecting water from pumps outside the camp. If your gardens flourish, you can return for harvest season.


• You must also build homes for the families in your community. This also entails bringing water. The water is mixed with dirt to make bricks.


• Do not forget to also stay healthy. When you are sick you must visit the clinic, but realize you will only be treated in rations and it is best to go when new WHO provided medical supplies and WFP food supplies arrive.


• Finally, you have to escape or hide when the militia come or you are subject to abuse, rape and murder!

In the game, there is a threat meter. This informs you how likely an attack is in the imminent future. This is similar to the word of mouth and the guards who alert camps of approaching militia. Beware when the meter goes red.

Aside from real-life stimulated games, the site offers links to more informative sites for research on Darfur. Sudan [Translating Genocide] link takes you to a place where you can watch a documentary made by 3 college student who traveled to camps in Chad in 2005. Sudan [Take Action] web page gives you a list of opportunities to make a difference. From this site you can:

1. Educate yourself on the Darfur Crisis.


2. E-mail the U.S. government.


3. Join a growing divestment movement (and learn more about it).


4. Donate money, supplies, etc.


5. Check out a benefit album published for the cause and sign a global petition.


6. And, of course, find out more ways you can get involved.

This is a great way to teach people about the Darfur crisis. It is fun, so young people will not feel like they are researching or anything. At the same time, it is very informative and demonstrates the everyday struggle that these refugees face. By playing a game, you can also educate yourself and get motivated to make a difference. Once you are motivated, making a difference is only a mouse click away!

Baby Izzedine in the Washington Post

Check out the interactive page on the Washington Post "World News" site dedicated to Darfur stories. One particularly heart wrenching video explains a mothers' struggle to survive and to feed and provide for her baby, Izzedine.

International Law and Playing Our Part

The ICC is unable to fulfill its mandate. The Organization cannot manage to arrest a man known for committing genocide, because it has no means of enforcement of its decisions. This is devastating to its cause and its reputation.

The whole point of such an organization is to deter humans from acting out such inhumane and widespread campaigns as genocide. It is to balance against powerful individuals who feel they have no constraints under national law. This is especially the case for leaders who incite acts of terrorism against their citizens.

Leaders, however, are extremely difficult to arrest once and international warrant has been passed by the jury. They are not likely to be turned in on their own soil, so the ICC has to wait for them to leave. Even once they leave, it is unlikely that a non-signatory of the Rome Statute will turn them over and risk aggrivating their political relationship with the accused criminal's government.

This is especially a problem with people from regions of the world that feel bombarded by Western principles and culture. Arab people/countries and Latin American people/countries tend to stick together when culturally "attacked" by the West. They have a sort of brotherhood that prevents such violations of trust amongst them. One country would not want to be shunned by their brotherhood for turning one of their kind over to the "other" side.

They tend to look the other way when one of their own is committing atrocious acts. They do this to ensure they receive the same allegiance when they themselves resort to such acts. In other words, the Ethiopian leader will not turn over Al-Bashir, expecting the same from Sudan if he had a ICC warrant out for his arrest.

So how do we fix a world divided by culture? How do we overcome such obstacles to IL as the debate over universalism and relativism? These problems have yet to be solved, but that does not mean all hope is lost. We must keep spreading the word about Darfur. We must encourage our own countries (USA) to sign on to the statute and help enforce the decisions of ICC. We must keep pushing for the people living in camps in Darfur. We must keep fighting for the people who have yet to be victimized at the hand of those more powerful than them. We have to keep International Law alive and revive its credibility!

Citizens Making Change

The i-Act group's documentary project called Camp Darfur is an interactive event to promote awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

Anyone can become an active member in the program. One can make a difference and involve local media, schools, government and organizations in his efforts. On the site the give a list of things that we can do to set up a Camp Darfur in our city:

1. To begin with, you pick a location for meetings.


2. Create a program of interactive events such as:




• Comparing the amount of food intake of a Darfur student to a local university or secondary school student,


• Stimulating an attack in what has been called a "Die-in",


• Inviting speakers,


• Scheduling classes to visit the camps virtually at various times,


• Playing music for the people in the camps,


• Inviting your community to spend the night like the refugees in Darfur,


• Playing a documentary or live video of the camp,


• Inviting organizations in your city to take part




3. Host local genocide survivors as speakers.


4. Alert local media and get it involved to bring more coverage to Darfur.


5. Contact surrounding educational facilities and encourage professors to involve their students by bringing them or organizing assignments.


6. Involve local legislatures and school governments.


7. Use online forums to spread the word.


8. And publicize the event through advertisement campaigns.
9. 
   

Here is the first documentary published by the organization:


Team member Katie-Jay even wrote a piece on people like me and you, citizen journalists, who spread the word on Darfur. We just have to keep up the good work! Maybe there is hope for the world after all.

UNAMID

The United Nations organization has been very active in Sudan. UNAMID is the name of the hybrid United Nations/ African Union mission in Darfur. More formally referred to as Resolution 1769, this mission was passed on 31 July, 2007 and acted upon the following December. It implemented the Darfur Peace Agreement and enabled peacebuilding missions to Sudan.

UNAMID headquarters in El Fasher, Sudan. The five main leaders of the mission are:

1. Rodolphe Adada from the Republic of Congo: joint AU-UN special representative,


2. Henry Anyidoho from Ghana: joint AU-UN deputy rep.,


3. Hocine Medili from Algeria: deputy joint special rep. for operations and management,


4. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai from Nigeria: force commander and


5. Michael J. Fryer from South Africa: police commissioner.

The mandate of UNAMID allowed for the deployment of UN forces in Sudan in order to accomplish the following:

• To protect humanitarian personnel and supplies belonging to the UN.


• To protect civilians during the implementation of a Peace Agreement.


• To restore security and ensure humanitarian aid reaches all those in need.


• To protect civilians from attack and physical harm.


• To monitor and ensure the country's compliance with ceasefire agreements.


• To oversee the acting out of the political process towards peace in the region.


• To help establish an environment for economic growth and development.


• To ensure the sustainable repatriation of refugees and enable the long awaited homage of internally displaced persons.


• To establish an ideology of respect and protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms.


• To promote and create the environment for rule of law in Darfur by establishing independent judiciary systems, Sudanese authority figures and proper prisons.


• To keep track of the border security situations with neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic.


• And to disarm militias such as the Janjaweed.

If you are interested, you can find the latest updates on the group's progress in Darfur and other reports produced by their correspondents in the region. It is all available on the website.

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

With the expulsion and closures of 16 of aid groups the population of Darfur grows increasingly desperate. Several issues worry the remaining aid workers and the people of Darfur as well.

• Speculators have predicted that water supplies may diminish in a matter of weeks. All water is pumped to the surface from wells and boreholes, and, without the fuel supplies provided by aid groups, they will soon cease to operate.


• Many health clinics have closed and outbreaks have already begun. Diarrhea is speading in Zam Zam camp and meningitis has infected the people in the Kalma camp.


• Food was already a scarce commodity, but now, with the expulsion of many groups, the World Food Program (WFP) is left alone to take on the difficult task of feeding millions of people.


• People are fleeing the region, yet again, leading the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS) to declare the food security of both Sudan and Bar El Ghazal under imminent threat.

In the light of these circumstances, things are projected to get increasingly violent in the region. On March 14, 26 people died in the Southern region of Darfur. Conflict broke out between the Hibaniya and Al-Falata tribes over cattle raiding. Conflicts of this type are believe to flare up all over Darfur as supplies quickly disappear. In a region rich in weapons and desperate people and lacking law and order, deaths can only be projected to increase until stability and security is brought to the people.

Aid Workers Fear For Their Lives

The situation in Darfur is spiraling out of control. Aid workers are in imminent danger of abduction, expulsion, resistance and even murder. Immediately following the issuance of the arrest warrant for Sudanese leader Al-Bashir, 13 foreign aid groups were expelled for "spying" for the ICC. The IRC (International Rescue Committee), WPF (World Food Program), and WHO (World Health Organization) are among those expelled. This has only further agitated a volatile situation.

The victimization of aid groups did not stop there. Five Medecins Sans Frontieres workers were kidnapped in Darfur on the evening of 11 March 2009. Two were Sudanese and released immediately, but Marilyn McHarg (Canadian), Mauro D'Ascanio (Italian) and Raphael Meunier (French) were held for three days before being released and returning home. During that time, the aid group was forced to recall all their workers in the region.

On 23 March 2009, in a remote village called Kongo Haraza, further violence resulting from the situation led to the murder of a Sudanese worker for a Canadian aid group in Darfur. Two days prior, gunmen entered Adam Khatir's house demanding a satellite phone. Khatir would not comply and was beaten as a result. When the men returned, they came demanding Khatir's life. A total of 12 aid workers have been killed in Darfur in the past year.

Aid groups have also been targeted in car jackings, ambushes and the like in the last month. However, according to a BBC article, "Aid agencies say they will not cease operations in Darfur, despite spiralling security risks in the area." Some groups have been forced to flee and there has been visible decline in aid to the region. Many more have remained. Those who have fled ought not be criticized, but those who have remained ought be praised for their courageous efforts to fight inhumane treatment of fellow human beings. Hail NGOs!

Defected Janjaweed Discuss Government Involvement

Darfur Destroyed: Sudan's perpetrators break silence from Aegis Trust on Vimeo.

Sudanese Government in Khartoum is exposed as the mastermind of the mass assaults on the Fur and other tribes of Darfur in the Aegis Trust documentary Darfur Destroyed: Sudan's Perpetrators break the silence. I found this posted on the website of the non-profit organization for Change by Micheal Kleinman. The Herald Tribune also published an article about the documentary on February 11, 2009.