Remember To Say A Prayer For Darfur

St. Matthew 5:4

The crisis in Darfur, in western Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including widespread murder, rape, abduction and forced displacement. A Genocide has unfolded, while the world watches and refuses to say anything. The Bush’s administration, thus far has offered only empty rhetoric and idle threats.  The failure of the international community to act is costing the lives of thousands.

The conflict in Darfur has led to the death of over 400,000 men, women, and children. Over 2.5 million people have been forced to flee from their homes.  Innocent civilians have died as a result of both deliberate and random attacks. Not since the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 has the world seen such a depiction of slaughter, rape, starvation, and displacement as is happening right now in Darfur. Countless women and girls have been and are being raped. Hundreds of villages have been bombed and burned; water sources and food stocks have been destroyed, property and livestock looted. Mosques, schools, and hospitals have been burned to the ground.

President Omar El Bashir's of the Sudanese government in Khartoum is behind all of this tragedy or ethnic cleansing. His group has a strong Arab character and derives most of his support from the north of the country, which is largely Arab. The Sudanese government sees the people in Darfur as a major threat, and has funded, armed, and recruited militias such as the Janjaweed from local Arab tribes.

The Janjaweed, a ruthless band whose name means "devils on horseback", have murdered and forced millions of Darfuris to flee their homes for crowded refugee camps, where they continue to suffer extreme deprivation, disease and continued violent attacks.

Many refugee families are headed up by women with no form of income, as the men have been killed trying to defend their homes and villages. There are also many orphans who have lost or been separated from their parents during attacks. Large parts of Darfur are desert, and conditions are difficult and dangerous during the best of times. Even when the villages are left intact, many refugees are unwilling to return to Darfur unless there is security in place to protect them. If they were to return to their homes villages, they would be killed. The deadly combination of the Janjaweed and the regional drought have made these the very worst of times for the people of Darfur.

This conflict will not be solved quickly in Darfur. Armed intervention by a combined African Union/UN peacekeeping force is not viable without arriving first at a political treaty, expressed in a peace agreement. This will require the most vigorous diplomatic and economic initiatives aimed at bringing Khartoum and the rebels to the bargaining table.

In the meantime what can you and I do to help? As Christians we should not just carelessly stand by and watch while innocent people continue to face inhuman suffering and death.

In the midst of all this suffering, Jesus is calling us to examine ourselves.  He commands us to let His Spirit search our hearts and show us where we are wrong.  We must be Christ like and envision a world in which the Christian community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities. Our mission should be to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop the suffering. Our primary focus now is on the Darfur genocide; our larger goal is to help build a permanent anti-genocide society that transforms “Never Again” from a promise we make into a commitment we keep.

The teachings of Jesus Christ are simple today as they were over 2,000 years ago, but are very much needed during this critical time in our society.  Darfur needs us and each day that we sit back and do nothing more innocent lives are lost.  The only assurance we have and the people of Darfur have at this time is the Divine comfort in the peace of knowing and trusting God. So where ever you are please stop and remember the people of Darfur in your prayers, worship services, and your thoughts. 

                                                                  ©By: Rev. Christopher D. Handy