October 27th, 2008
Darfur Essay~Introductions (Group 4)
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edigiorgio in
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Group 4: Ashley, Mark, Branden, Anthony, and Melinda
Please post your introduction and first body paragraph by Tuesday 12 noon. Comment on your classmates’ posts by Tuesday 9:00 pm. See you on Wednesday.
on October 27th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Just how merciless and coldhearted can a group of people possibly be? Can you imagine being a pregnant woman and each day on your trip to get firewood, having to be terrified of getting your stomach sliced open by a stranger? How about being that same women before you’re pregnant, leaving your home to get water, and having to be petrified that the murderer who had killed your father and raped your mother might decide to come back to give you a little visit? These unbelievable acts of violence and terror in Sudan are a result of the Janjaweed; a word simply meaning, “The devil on horseback.” These government hired militias, who are fresh out of jail, have attributed fear, torture, violence, rape, and death upon different tribes throughout Africa.
After about five and a half years, the Janjaweed are responsible for up to 400,000 deaths and have left millions of people displaced and homeless. In an article titled, “The Darfur Crisis: Sudan’s Janjaweed Militia,” Oliver Read, an author from The Online News Hour describes the outcome of a Janjaweed attack. He quotes, “On Feb. 27, 2003, bandits mounted on horses stormed into the town of Tawilla in Sudan’s north Darfur region and executed a “well-organized attack” on its residents. The antagonists killed at least 67 people, abducted 16 schoolgirls and raped 93 others, six in front of their families. According to accounts, including those reported by the United Nations, the attackers branded the hands of those they raped to remind them of the incident and ostracize them from society. The United Nations blames this attack, and numerous others like it, on the Janjaweed.” This quote shows how gruesome and horrific the Janjaweed can really be.
on October 27th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
it wont let me post it with an indent or a space inbetween paragraphs …. idk why …… but the second paragrapg starts with, ” After about five and a half years, the Janjaweed are responsible for up to 400,000 deaths and have left millions of people displaced and homeless……..”
on October 27th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Mark: sounds good. i like your colorful words describing the janjaweed. just dont forget to explain what your quotes mean, otherwise sounds promising.
mine:
Do you trust your government? Are they forcing you to flee your home and abandon your family; are you living in fear? In Darfur, Africa, people are forced to wake up to the terrified screams of their village being turned into ashes. Arabs are being sent into villages in Darfur, and are murdering, raping and destroying the lives of the non –Arabs. Theses dehumanizing monsters are known as the Janjaweed. They are the ones killing the innocent people in Darfur, Sudan. Unfortunately, the non – Arab Darfurians have no one to turn to as the Janjaweed are hired and funded through the Sudanese government. This killing is known as genocide, and it was started for the access to land, need for water and the use of oil. The government chose a side and gave them weapons to remove the darfurians.
Before 2003, there wasn’t always a war going on between the people in Sudan. There was no need to fight over the water, land or oil. But as soon as there was a shortage, the government started taking control over everything, including the people. As stated in a news article (about the Sudanese government), “It admits mobilizing ‘self-defence militias’ following rebel attacks but denies any links to the Janjaweed, accused of trying to ‘cleanse’ black Africans from large swathes of territory” (BBC News) The government says they created a militia, but didn’t order the killings that this new militia is doing. Whether the Janjaweed were ordered to kill the non-Arabs, they are not stopping them. President al-Bashir, president of Sudan, denied being in control of the Janjaweed, and he himself has down graded the beats, by calling them gangsters and thieves. (BBC News) The government is not making any effort to stop the Janjaweed from committing their murders, rapes and theft, and yet they continue to take no action.
The U.S. has called the killing in Darfur genocide, while the Sudanese government tries to deny it. They are aware that there is killing going on, known as war crimes, but they “fail” to see any kind of genocide happening. (BBC News)
on October 28th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Take a look through the eyes of a young and innocent child living in Sudan. Their life is a living nightmare and they don’t know when it will be over. No one will ever understand the hardships and torment they are faced with. Bombing, fire and rapes are situations they are forced to deal with on a day to day basis. Think back as a young child and put yourself in their shoes, what would you do? Would you be able to survive? Would you even want to? Here in America our children don’t have the burden of death unlike the children of Darfur. America children don’t have to question if they will live one more day. They will never be hunted or maliciously slaughtered. Young Americans take the privileges they have bestowed with for granted.
In particular, “fear” is a feeling that Sudanese children feel every day. Their normal day consists of waking up, many not even sleeping in any type of shelter because their homes that they did have been burned down. They wake up looking for food, with none in sight. Their mothers or sisters, if still alive, go out for firewood. This does not sound dangerous to an American, but while out their many women are raped by the Janjaweed even some are killed. They have to deal with struggles that most adult Americans I am sure could not even be able to cope with.
on October 28th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Branden Maldonado
As an american man, i have heard almost every negative stereotype there is on the muslim religion. As a man growing up into a muslim household, I am ashamed that Sudan, which the population is sixty percent muslim, is just continuing those same same stereotypes. What must happen for this genocide to come to end? When will we americans step in and assure the “blacks”, as the Arabs call them, that they are free from a life of malicious actions? When?
As a eighteen-year old,I wouldn’t be the person to have that answer but our nation does have the power to force a solution. During the holocaust, we helped in ending Hitler’s success regardless that the Nazi’s had weapons of mass destruction. if we proved that we can handle that, why are we procasinating about taking down some men on horse-back. What’s different this time around that has avoiding any action?
on October 28th, 2008 at 11:57 am
In particular is where m second paragraph startss
markkk - i really like your intro it is very descriptive. your 1st paragraph i agree with ashley that maybe you should say how you feel about those qoutes
ashley - yours is really good. i like the questions in the begining because they help bring the reader in. you also use colorful words that help the reader get a good picture of what the janjaweed are doing.
on October 28th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Darfur is a country plagued by injustice. It is treated unfairly by there own people and people around the world. As the people in Darfur suffer and die, everyone else remains ignorant the there cries of help. Somebody needs to inform the world about this crisis. People need to know about cause of the fighting and is happening. They also need to know about the janjaweed, the killings, the working conditions, and the sad stories they have to share.
The government has been cause of all the violence in Darfur since it began in 2003. The government did not want to share or come to some sort of agreement over the land, oil, and grazing rights that the citizens of Darfur own. The government’s greediness caused them to take drastic measures and attacked any village they got to, killing every one on site destroying homes and families. Even the president Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir has been accused of several acts of genocide. As a result of these attacks two rebel groups were formed. One being the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the other being the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Although each of these groups fights for the same reason they are still divided for ethnic reasons. Now there are over a dozen rebel groups fighting the government. As a result of all the retaliation the government could not make a budge so in desperation to get what they want a fight back the rebel groups they let loose a plague on the people of Darfur from they worst prison they have to offer.
on October 28th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Mark- you got me hooked as soon as i started reading your essay
Ashley- i really felt like you were talking to me in you paper
Melinda- you have a vary catchy intro
Branden- I didn’t know you were Muslim, your paper has a lot of emotion in it
on October 28th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
braden - i really like how you related the problem in sudan back to your life and how it effects you. i think you will really catch the readers attention
on October 28th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
branden**** sorry
on October 28th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
ashley i liked how yur questions in the begining got the reader to want to read more … just explain things a little more because that always helps ..
matilda i liked your intro and teh questions grabbed the readers just like ashley’s… in yours i would try to use more “colorful” words to make it more attractive to the readers
branden your intro is good, continue to devolop the topic and explain how we can put an end to all that is happening
Anthony “As the people in Darfur suffer and die, everyone else remains ignorant the there cries of help.” i thought that was good and it made me want to read more, continue to devolop the topic just like branden and you used good details
on October 28th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Melina: good grabber makes me feel really sad about the children, makes me wanna help them and read on to see what i could do.
Anthony: good facts, dont forget to back them up with sites
Branden: i like that u put yourself into the paper.