4/26/2006

Muslims in Darfur Need Protection, Not Jihad
Statements by Osama bin Laden Demonstrate 'Deep Lack of Concern' for Darfurians; International Community, Arab Nations Must Fulfill Responsibility to Protect

WASHINGTON, April 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Genocide Intervention Network today condemns the statements of Osama bin Laden suggesting that peacekeepers in Darfur, Sudan, are perpetrating atrocities against Muslims. On the contrary, the government of Sudan is carrying out genocide on the predominantly Muslim population of Darfur, more than 400,000 of whom have already been killed. The international community must not be deterred by terrorist threats, but rather recognize their responsibility to protect civilians in Darfur.

"Without international intervention in Darfur in the form of humanitarian aid, millions more lives would have been lost," says GI-Net Director of Education Rajaa Shakir. "The security situation in Darfur has grown so dire that there is an explicit need to bolster protection forces to ensure the protection of Darfurian civilians and to continue the delivery of vitally-needed aid."

"Osama bin Laden's contention that fighting on behalf of Khartoum is a fight for Muslims everywhere represents a deep lack of concern and disrespect for the black Muslims of Darfur," she says.

While the government of Sudan chose to publicly distance itself from Osama bin Laden's comments, such was not the case two months ago, when President Omar al-Bashir said Darfur would "be a graveyard for any foreign troops venturing to enter" and the defense minister led soldiers in chants of "jihad, victory, martyrdom."

The peacekeeping force in Darfur is currently operating under a mandate from the African Union, an international organization with participation from all African states. Although Western nations have been at the forefront of supporting the peacekeepers -- most notably Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands -- Darfurians would welcome support from Arab or Muslim states, according to security analyst Fatema Abdul Rasul of Citizens for Global Solutions.

"Appointing a high-level Arab or Muslim envoy would send Khartoum a clear signal that the Arab and Muslim world is committed to end the violence," Rasul wrote in a recent column in the Daily Star of Lebanon. "If Arab and Muslim leaders want to prove to the international community that they are truly committed to respect for human rights, justice and accountability, it is imperative for them to stand up against the genocide in Darfur."

UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland says the genocide in Darfur is getting worse, not better. "I think it's a matter of weeks or months that we will have a collapse in many of our operations," he said last Friday. "I don't think the world has understood how bad it has become of late."

Refugees in Darfur and Chad have expressed their lack of faith in the AU's ability to properly protect them, repeatedly expressing their desire for international protection. Jamil, a 12-year-old refugee in Chad, said after a particularly brutal attack on his village, "We needed help. There was no one to protect us."

Civilian protection in Darfur is desperately needed. The Genocide Intervention Network calls on all governments throughout the world to support peacekeeping initiatives in Darfur, and fulfill their responsibility to protect those whom the Sudanese government cannot or will not protect.

The Genocide Intervention Network works to mobilize an anti-genocide constituency in the United States and Canada to raise the costs for inaction by politicians in the face of genocide. Accessible online at www.GenocideIntervention.net , GI-Net empowers its members with the tools to support initiatives that prevent and stop genocidal violence, in particular by protecting civilians in Darfur, Sudan.