Dedication
Issue:
HUMAN SECURITY FOR ALL
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS,
WILL EVER BE FINISHED?
Redressing Massive
Trauma: A Complex International
Task
by
Prof. Hayrettin KILIÇ
Advisory Member
of the Light Millennium &
Founder
of the Turunch Foundation
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UN/DPI-NGO Annual 59th Conference
UNFINISHED
BUSINESS:
Effective Partnership for Human Security and Sustainable Development
In the morning of September 6, as I proceed
to registration tent assembled in the
front of United Nations Building, I was
still thinking about the theme of this
year's DPI/NGO conference, UNFINISHED
BUSINESS, WILL EVER BE FINISHED, UNFINISHED
BUSINNES, WILL EVER?
1879 strong men and women come to New York to somehow find a way
to finish the Unfinished Business; 540
NGO's from 67 different countries, representatives
covering the full spectrum of all the
continents including; 183 from Africa,
242 from Asia and The Pacific, 49 from
Eastern Europe, 66 from Latin America,
28 from Middle East and Arab Countries,
974 from Northern America and Caribbean,
and 337 from Western Europe.
During the three days conference, in addition to main plenary sessions,
there were so called Midday NGO Workshops
that focused on different aspects of unfinished
business each day. At the end of each
day sessions, there were also special
presentation of the art and music. Founding
president of Light Millennium Organization
Mrs. Bircan Unver was responsible for
organizing a wonderful poem reading session
accompanied with a peacefully conducted
music by Mr. Amir Vahap.
The topics which have been covered in 39 different Midday NGO Workshops
that underscore the theme of the conference
were grouped into following main categories:
. Accountability and Transparency
. Financial and Ecological Sustainability
. Health and Human Security
. Leadership, Governance, Civil Society
. Media, Information Technology and communication
. Peace building, Values and Multiculturalism
. Science and Education.
Because of the overlapping sessions, it was impossible to attend
all the workshops.
However, I was able to participate in
a couple workshops. I believe that one
of the workshops titled Redressing
Massive Trauma: A Complex International
Task was more related to this year's theme Unfinished Business. The focus of this workshop was to emphasize that armed conflict
leaves in its wake massive trauma. Healing from this trauma, some time/cases lasts for generations,
is an extraordinarily complex task. Mrs.
Jacqueline Murekatete, a youth survivor
of Rwanda genocide, told the audience
about her disturbingly sad experience
during the ethnic conflict between Hutu
and Tutsi tribes in Rwanda.
Honorable Joseph Nsengimana, Ambassador
and permanent representive of the Republic
of Rwanda gave enlightening talk obut
Rwanda's Genocide, and painfully describe
the horrible events that took place in
his country. His remarks reminded the
inescapable facts that more than 800,000
human beings have been slaughter over
100 days. He also answered some of
questions. One of interesting question
was that how and when Hutu tribes should
be punished for the worst humanitarian
crime that they have committed against
to Tutsi. His Excellency response was
that "How do you punish a couple
million Hutu?"
Surprisingly, there was neither a plenary
session nor a workshop dedicated to what
is going on about ethnic cleansing/genocide
in Darfur region of Sudan. It would be very effective pressure on UN and World's media,
if 1987 strong would go to front of the
UN building and observe a 15 minutes of
total silent. Moreover, all the organizations
that are participated in this conference
could issue a joint declaration holding
Sudan's government responsible for the
death of 200-300,000 people, and asking
immediate intervention of UN and NATO!
African Solutions for African Problems...
Sudan, formerly known as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, is largest country
in Africa, slightly more than one-quarter
the size of the Unted States. Sudan buffeted
by civil wars, chronic political instability,
adverse weather, has gained their independence
from Egypt and England in January 1956.
1973 constitution of the democratic Sudan
was suspended following military coup
of April 1985, than interim constitution
of October 1985 suspended following military
coup of 1989, and a new constitution was
implanted in June 1998. Although legal
system is based on English - Common- Western
law. However, in northern part of the
Sudan, Islamic law is imposed on all residents
regardless of their religion.
Islam is dominant religion in Sudan, %
80 Muslim, % 15 indigenous beliefs, %
5 Christian. Arabic is the official Language,
however, wild spectrum of native languages
such as; .Nubian, Ta Bedawie, and divers
dialects of Nilotic are spoken. Over the
centuries people of Sudan region shared
similar cultural practice, and developed
an embodied ethnic solidarity to hunt/work
in the same land until a program of Arabization
imposed by existing government.
The World's WORST HUMANITARIAN DISASTER began in 2003, when black
African tribes from Fur, Masselit, and
Zagahawa in Western Sudan resented the
Arab-dominated central government's neglect
of their area, and demanded larger shares
of national budget that has been enriched
by increasing oil and gas revenues. As
result of Sudanese government failure
to respond African tribe's demands, armed
rebel groups such as Justice and Equality
Movement, Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army
were formed. These rebel organization
attacks on the government troops stationed
at the El Fasher Airport in Northern Dafur
in February 2003 triggered the worst humanitarian
disaster in the world.
Well armed forces of the Sudanese government and their Arab allies
in the Jannjaween region, attacked to
African rebel groups from the Fur, Masselit,
and Zaghawa tribes living in the Western
Sudan. The governments and Arab-militias
attack farms and villages indiscriminately,
killing tens of thousands of civilians
from the rebel tribes. More than million
people had to flee from their homes. By
February 2005, about 75 percent of all
villages in Darfur have been destroyed,
crops and live stock have been stolen,
and most of the water wells have been
poisoned by government troops and Arab
militias.
Since then, Rebel forces have also committed serious human rights
violations according to relief workers
who were often attacked by rebels, and
their humanitarian aid were looted. In
late 2005, rebels started raiding, Arab
nomads and their communities destroying
live stock and villages even some these
Arab communities did not support the Janjaweed
militias. AU commanders have knowledge
that the rebels also recruit young boys,
which violets all the international treats
on the rights of young children and considered
a war crime under the statute of the International
Criminal Court.
Up to this date, more than 300.000 people died, and at least 2
million, mostly African Sudanese, people
displaced from their homes living in inadequately
protected refuge camps. Unfortunately,
the survival of more than 2 million people
scattered in an area that is bigger than
France is trusted to 7.200 African Union
(AU) troops and police. Ironically, there
are more than 14.000 humanitarian workers,
almost twice as many AU troops, operating
in the areas where there is no communications,
roads, and food-water.
Baba Gana Kingibe, African Union representative
to Darfur, told to International Regional
Information Network of the United Nation
office for the Coordination of Human Affairs
(IRIN), in June, 2005 that, Darfur needs
the most-seasoned, best-trained, and well-equipped
peace keepers. The Africa Union has too
few troops, and not enough aircraft or
vehicles to cover such waste and harsh
land. Yet for the hunders of thousands
of people crammed into refuge camps, AU
troops and police composed of 53 African
Nations are their only protection. Gen.
Romeo Dallaire, the U.N force commander
in Rwanda during that nation's genocide,
has urged in February 2005 that it should
be a mission force of 44.000 NATO-quality
troops in order to prevent any further
genocide in Darfur.
Untied Nations Security Council (composes
and control by super powers) is interested
what is below of Sudan not above...
Only International community lead by Untied Nations can create
a peacekeeper force with latest technological
capabilities, and mandates to fully protect
civilians in Darfur.
The immediate task of this UN mission
should be to increase the support to existing
AU forces in Darfur, first by tripling
AU number of troop to over 20.000, and
provide them all necessary logistics. In the mean time, U.N along with NATO
should assemble non-Arab Muslim peacekeepers,
from countries like Turkey, Malaysia,
Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Not only troops
from these countries have extensive experience
in peacekeeping in different regions around
the World, but they being non-Arab, will
be perhaps more accepted, and trusted
by African Sudanese.
Finally, as the United Nations continues to facilitate post-conflict
security in the non-oil-gas producing
regions of the world, the super powers
or the security council of U.N still has
the last word as to who will dictate the
destiny of the people that happen to on
wrong place and wrong time, namely, on
top of waste oil-gas reservoirs. They
must all realize that peacekeeping requires
the consent and cooperation of parties
to the conflict and dispute.
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About DARFUR
Darfur is the western most state of the Sudan. The population
of Darfur consists of Negroes
and Arabs. The negro For, forming quite half
the inhabitants, occupy the central
highlands and part of the Dar
Dima and Dar Uma districts; they
speak a special language, and
are subdivided into numerous tribes,
of which the most influential
are the Masabat, the Kunjara and
the Kera. They are of middle height,
and have rather irregular features.
The For are described as clean
and industrious, somewhat fanatical,
but generally amenable to civilization,
and freedom-loving. The Massalit are a negro tribe
which, breaking off from the For
some centuries back, have now
much Arab blood, and speak Arabic;
while the Tunjur are an Arab tribe which must have arrived
in the Sudan at a very early date,
as they have incorporated a large
For element, and no longer profess
Mahommedanism.
The Dago (Tago) formerly inhabited Jebel Marra, but they
have been driven to the south
and west, where they maintain
a certain independence in Dar
Sula, but are treated as inferiors
by the For. The Zaghawa, who inhabit
the northern borders, are on the
contrary regarded by the For as
their equals, and have all the
prestige of a race that at one
time made its influence felt as
far as Bornu. Among other tribes
may be mentioned the Berti and
Takruri, the Birgirid, the Beraunas,
and immigrants from Wadai and
Bagirmi, and Fula from west of
Lake Chad. Genuine Arab tribes,
e.g. the Baggara and
Homr, are numerous, and they are
partly nomadic and partly settled.
The Arabs have not, generally
speaking, mixed with the negro
tribes. They are great hunters,
making expeditions into the desert
for five or six days at a time
in search of ostriches.
Slaves, ostrich feathers, gum and ivory used to be the chief articles
of trade, a caravan going annually
by the Arbain ("Forty Days")
road to Assiut in Egypt and taking
back cloth, fire-arms and other
articles. The slave trade has
ceased, but feathers, gum and
ivory still constitute the chief
exports of the country. The principal
imports are cotton goods, sugar
and tea. There is also an active
trade in camels and cattle.
The climate, except in the south, where the rains are heavy and
the soil is a damp clay, is healthy
except after the rains. The rainy
season lasts for three months,
from the middle of June to the
middle of September. In the neighbourhood
of the khors the vegetation is
fairly rich. The chief trees are
the acacias whence gum is obtained,
and baobab (Adansonia digitata);
while the sycamore
and, in the Marra mountains, the
Euphorbia candelabrum are also found. In
the S.W. are densely forested
regions. Cotton and tobacco are
indigenous. The most fertile land
is found on the slopes of the
mountains, where wheat, durra,
dukhn (a kind of millet
and the staple food of the people)
and other grains are grown. Other
products are sesame, cotton, cucumbers,
water-melons and onions.
Copper is obtained from Hofrat-el-Nahas in the S.E., iron is wrought
in the S.W.; and there are deposits
of rock-salt in various places.
The copper mines (in 9° 48'
N. 24° 5' E.) are across the
Darfur frontier in the Bahr-el-Ghazal
province. The vein runs N.W. and
S.E. and in places rises in ridges
2 ft. above the general level
of ground. There is an immense
quantity of ore, (silicate and
carbonate) specimens containing
14% of metal. Camels and cattle
are both numerous and of excellent
breeds. Some of the Arab tribes,
such as the Baggara, breed only
cattle, those in the north and
east confine themselves to rearing
camels. Horses are comparatively
rare; they are a small but sturdy
breed. Sheep and goats are numerous.
The ostrich, common in the eastern
steppes, is bred by various Arab
tribes, its feathers forming a
valuable article of trade.
Source:
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/darfur
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