The genocide in Darfur is not contained by the Sudanese borders. Back in February the UN warned that Chad, which borders Sudan’s western region of Darfur, could become the scene of the next genocide if action is not taken soon. The UN has recommended peacekeepers to the border countries of Sudan to halt the spread of the killing. The janjaweed is penetrating further and further into Chad to attack refugees in camps. The UNHCR (UN High Commission for Refugees) has expressed worries that the spillover from Darfur will exacerbate the ethnic tensions. The janjaweed had started the violence, but now Chadian locals have joined in and increased the magnitude of the conflict and the killing.
The Central African Republic, Chad, and Sudan had signed a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6367545.stm
“>pact to not support rebels responsible for the conflict on each countries’ territory. The regions of western Sudan, eastern Chad, and northern CAR are in a circular conflict of fleeing refugees and aggressive militias. The conflict is based on land use and access to water, an issues that has been translated into ethnic tension.
So who is really effected by this conflict, who is it that faces terror everyday while we watch the local news? Oxfam has a page dedicated to the faces of this conflict. For the most part this conflict has the face of a child. So many children have been orphaned, so many have seen the terrors of war, so many have been effected by the conflict. A quote from the Oxfam page: “You don’t have to explain to these children what war is – they’ve lived it.” Check out the Oxfam page link and learn about the face of the conflict. The children, the future of Africa need the support to build a new peace.
Alex B. Hill 