The �Government� of the Sudan is committing genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity in direct and blatant violations of international law, the 1947 Genocide Treaty, and numerous other United Nations General Assembly Resolutions.

The President of the Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, should be indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, and crime against humanity, as well as for war crimes. Bashir is trying to hide his international crimes by claiming that the atrocities committed in Darfur were not committed by his government�s soldiers, but by Arab militias, the Janjaweed. However, that does not exonerate him form prosecution. As head of the Sudanese government, he has the duty to safeguard and keep safe every single Sudanese citizen. Period. Moreover, there are incontrovertible evidence and eyewitness account of the direct involvement in the genocide and ethnic cleansing committed by Bashir�s so called Sudanese Government Army and officers at his bidding.  The Sudanese army has sunk very low into ignominy by its activities of supporting a brutal dictator. Even worse they have proven to the World at large that they are in reality just a bunch of thugs, who think scaring victimized and emaciated women and children, by eating live chicken raw on camera is something heroic. 

The atrocities Bashir committed against the civilian population of the Darfur is not any different than those committed by Milosevic in Bosnia, or the genocide committed by several conspirators in Rwanda. The following defendants in the case of Rwanda�s crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing are now on trial: Edouard Karemera, the former interior minister, who was arrested in Togo in 1998 and transferred to the tribunal a month later; Andre Rwamakuba, the former minister of primary and secondary education, who was arrested in Namibia the same year; Mathieu Ngirumpatse, the former chairman for Rwanda's then dominant political party, the Movement of the Republic for National Development (MRND); and Joseph Nzirorera, the secretary general of the MRND, who was alleged to have paid militia men according to how many Tutsis they killed. Their case is still being tried. Thus Bashir and other high ranking military officers, as well as highly placed civilian officials, should be arrested and tried for crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. The Foreign Minister and Ambassadors of the Sudan are actively engaged in misinforming the World of the crime of genocide and ethnic cleansing being carried out by the Sudanese government in Darfur; they too should be charged for such crimes against the people of Darfur.

With all the atrocities going on right at the heart of Africa, African leaders are not taking the necessary steps to stop the crime of genocide and ethnic cleansing that has taken the lives of tens of thousands of people in the Darfur region of the Sudan. African leaders should be ashamed of their silence and in-action. Leaders of Africa have shown an unbelievable degree of irresponsibility by their silence and token gesture of calling some silly meeting between rebel leaders and the Bashir Government. What is the purpose of calling such meetings between rebellion leaders and government officials while millions of people are being attacked, their homes burned to the ground, their farm lands destroyed and tens of thousands being killed, thousands of women being raped? What is the African Union doing right now? How is it discharging its duties?

The World should not wait for those irresponsible African Leaders to take action, time is of the essence. Action is immediately required to stop the rabid government of Bashir from murdering more victims. Those Western powers with might and capacity, such as the United States, United Kingdom et cetera, should immediately declare the Darfur area as a sanctuary, and block it off from the rest of the Sudan. They should move military personnel immediately to the area. And if there is any resistance, I urge bombing the refinery, military installations, and government offices as well as the palace of Bashir and his thugs.

The Sudan is a failed state. It cannot govern itself. It is time to face up to that reality, and either create viable smaller states or allow other neighboring stable states to takeover the areas now under rebellion, and provide protection to the most beautiful and ethical people of Darfur. I was criticized earlier for writing an essay (posted in this Website a few weeks ago) about the beauty of the Darfur people, because my admiration implied to my critics that only beautiful people are worthy of protection. That was never my intention. Nevertheless, I would add that not only the people of Darfur are physically beautiful but also they are a people of tremendous faith whose singing to God (Allah) wonderful songs mesmerize and hypnotize even a non-Moslem like me. I must admit to the fact that I have no clue what their Songs were about because I do not speak Arabic or their local language, but I understand the depth of their emotion and faith in their melodic voices in songs that I believe are the most sublime and in direct contact with God. How else can one sing so beautifully and with such total devotion!

I appeal to all decent human beings and responsible world leaders to help the great and ancient people of Darfur, and protect them from attack, mutilation, rape, and murder.  Shame on us all if we once again quietly stand on the sideline of history and watch another genocide of a people take place right under our noses. I urge you all to demand that Bashir and his collaborators be arrested and tried for crimes of genocide, crime against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.  

Tecola W. Hagos

July 2004