When comparing mass killings, one has to note if one is a genocide and the other is not but in all probability, there are similarities when mass killings are observed at close quarters. More often than not there will be an ethnic background to a genocide as in the case of the Jewish holocaust but in other cases there have also been issues which have nothing to do with ethnicity too.
The two cases chosen for this essay have similarities in the fact that they occurred in Africa although their actual seeds are rather different. In Rwanda we had the case of two ethnic groups fighting for dominance over each other with the resultant bloody massacres while in Darfur the issue was more of government negligence leaving hundreds of thousands to die of famine.
In Rwanda the colonial background also played a part especially with regards to the Belgians who backed the Tutsi’s over the Hutus thus causing a disaster of epic proportions when the other ethnic group came to power. The indiscriminate killing and genocide which took place can also be blamed up to a point on the apathy of the international community which stood by as hundreds of thousands of persons were being massacred accordingly.
The deaths in Darfur can also be blamed up to a point on the inaction of the international community who were also pretty much asleep when the famine reached disastrous proportions. This meant that when aid actually came, this was too late and the resultant catastrophe occurred with several hundreds of thousands starving to death.
While both are mass killings, the killing in Rwanda was a genocide whereas the killing in Darfur was not. The background to the two cases is slightly different as we shall observe in this essay.
The genocide in Rwanda
The mass killing in Rwanda was a genocide as the perpetrators were aiming to wipe out an entire group of people, including women and children, which also implies that halting reproduction of the group was also part of the plan.
Principally the Belgian and German colonists had backed the Tutsi minority in Rwanda for several decades and this had also been prevalent before for centuries. This resulted in the Hutu majority obviously feeling short changed and without much opportunity in this regard due to the fact that they were emarginated and left on the side lines for centuries. When these eventually managed to prevail in a civil war which also left thousands dead and the power structures of the country severely compromised. This also meant that the Hutu majority now had control of the country and they could go about performing indiscriminate killing at their pleasure.
The fact that the killings were massacres adds to the evidence that it was a genocide. The massacres started slowly at first but picked up momentum at a fast and alarming pace. Principally the first targets chosen were those which were easy and these obviously included women and children who bore the initial brunt of the massacre. In fact nobody was really spared as the killings went on indiscriminately and were quite varied in scope and opportunity. Most of all there were summary executions performed by death squads who went about their task in the most brutal of fashions and without any qualms at all.
At this point the international community through the United Nations did attempt to intervene but the task force sent to quell the violence was small and without much scope or opportunity. This continued to lead to huge and substantial massacres which left close to a million people dead. Obviously the main reason why the Hutus were performing these killings was due to the fact that they had been left in the lurch for centuries and had suffered quite terribly at the hands of the Tutsi’s who had imposed their minority rule with alacrity and gross despotism. This gave the Hutus opportunity to carry out what were deemed as terrible reprisals and all this led to a genocide of almost indescribable proportions. Naturally the international community was very much shocked by all this but precious little was done to actually solve the situation which only descended into more violence and terror.
A further reason for the Rwanda killings being termed as a genocide is the preordained nature of the events. Actually the killings were pre planned and extremely well organized by the Hutu government. There was a complete plan regarding media and other communications. The militia was strengthened and training was also given to the death squads who were to carry out their gruesome task. This also meant that there were considerable similarities with the genocide of the Jews in the Second World War where everything was planned to the last detail accordingly. Although the killings were actually focused on shootings and other similar execution methods, this did not mean that they were in any way inefficient or without scope. Actually the Rwandan military were hugely proficient in everything they did and went about their job in quite a ruthless manner throughout.
The famine in Darfur
This was principally brought about by huge problems in the way the Sudanese government distributed food to areas which were struck by famine. More often than not the funds required for food distribution ended up being channelled into arms exports and other similar issues with the consequential detriment of the situation for the ordinary person.
However, Darfur cannot be considered a genocide as there was no specific programme to kill people in this respect and to eradicate them along ethnic grounds. Rather it was negligence and incompetence which left the people of Darfur to face the famine. Below follows an analysis of the situation in Darfur which actually caused the famine.
Market values tend to fluctuate across the region as a result of geographic, environmental, and infrastructure development in the areas under scrutiny. Agricultural crops obtain competitive prices if they are sold in the intense humid wooded areas, higher prices are achieved in the savannah grasslands, while the premium prices are given in the parched areas; this is to a certain extent facilitated by supply as well as demand factors.
The differences in farm product values across the entire South Sudan enables us to check the impact of climate on agricultural proceeds based on the premise that climate can affect the outcome of market prices Still, there are other factors which affect production output and agricultural yield: including the age and capabilities of the farmers and growers, their education and skills, access to grants and government services, and the willingness and ability to adapt to climate change. South Sudan’s agriculturalists adjust their farming systems and practices by embracing novel technologies in addition to changing crop combinations which they plant on the cultivated land.
The conflict in Darfur was the central cause for the agricultural collapse, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The majority of the villages in the area had not managed to plant much. Furthermore, farmers’ seeds, tools and livestock were looted.
The people who faced the famine were those who did not leave their homes and head towards the camps that many did. Communities such as these had to resort to spending what little money they had on purchasing food at the markets, where food prices had risen dramatically since the violence begun. Those who’s money had already diminished were attempting to harvest food from the wild. This was incredibly dangerous as they were then even more susceptible to violent attacks while collecting food for their families.
The humanitarian situation reached disastrous proportions, due to the violence, potential aid being obstructed and a lack of a humanitarian plan. Many Sudanese had fled their homes and taken up refuge in a camp for displaced people. They were forced to live in these camps for a long period, and many became ill from the lack of food, sanitation and medication. Furthermore, the shelter was inadequate for such a large number of people and they were still vulnerable to sexual abuse and violence. The vast numbers of people living in small spaces meant that infectious diseases and dysentery spread quickly and resulted in many more deaths. On top of this was the underlying problem of famine which killed many people also.
Many people were killed in the violence in Darfur, and many were also killed as a result of the famine and lack of aid delivered both during and after the conflict. The major cause of the lack of help for both the displaced and those who had stayed in their homes was that the government failed to rectify the situation. Nonetheless, whether or not the Sudanese president failed to help the people of Darfur in their time of need, the nature of the killings does not count as genocide.
Although it is clear that the government’s failure to help the people of Darfur is largely the reason for the occurrence of so many deaths, the Sudanese president¸ Omar al-Bashir, went to lengths to pretend to the rest of the world that the disaster was not happening. In a video conference, he actively denied that there was any genocide in the area, and also claimed that there were no famine or epidemics either.
According to The Telegraph, he also claimed that approximations of 300,000 deaths over three years of conflict was false and that such statistics were being created by NGOs and western governments in order to overthrow his leadership. He also, shockingly, said any intervention from the United Nations would be unnecessary and counterproductive.
The video conference was one element of the Sudanese government public relations movement to attempt to convince the West that it was not accountable for the rumours about trouble in Darfur. The president claimed that there were no problems in the area and that he was the victim of a worldwide conspiracy to topple him from his position as president.
While the deaths in Darfur were tragic, they cannot be deemed a genocide as there was no underlying plan to eradicate a group of people. It is most likely true that the Sudanese government did not being its actions with the purpose of eradicating its sedentary population. Rather, the government was echoing what has happened in other areas and attempting to abolish a rebellion via the use of terror strategies. Although the line between what happened and what constitutes genocide is wavering, the Sudanese government have narrowly avoided this becoming the latter, at least technically. Although civilians were killed, the intention was to attack the two rebel groups in the region. Jan Coebergh is a medic who has spent time working in Darfur. Having analysed data from several sources, he approximates that the death toll in the area is around 300,000, which is much higher than the frequently cited number of 70,000, and this was in 2004 while the violence was still very much at its peak.
Genocide is defined as a planned endeavor to terminate a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Although there was widespread violence in Darfur, the intention was not of this nature, according to the government.
Conclusion:
Although one can observe that the famine in Darfur and the genocide in Rwanda provided different scenarios, the end result was basically the same with hundreds of thousands dying needlessly due to capricious government decisions. This also teaches us a lesson for the future.
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