Munster Express Online

On a Monday morning earlier this month Sudanese helicopters and a column of 120 armoured vehicles descended upon two villages in Northern Darfur, shattering the early morning peace.

These attacks, which would displace further thousands of innocent civilians, were no isolated incidents but part of an established pattern of violence that continues to define the everyday existence of the hapless people of Darfur.

Days later raiders on horseback, militia sponsored by the government of Sudan, indiscriminately killed and abducted villagers from the North Darfur settlement of Bere. Last Saturday Sudanese air and ground forces launched ‘very heavy’ bombardments on Darfuri villages, followed by hostilities during the week which forced thousands to flee their homes, leaving whole villages deserted.

The continued violence not only directly claim lives and uproot families but jeopardise the operation of aid agencies in a region where 2.3 million people are dependent on food aid. The recent spate of violence has placed 450,000 lives in immanent danger as emergency interventions have been impeded.

Estimates of the death toll now stand at around 300,000, with 2.5 million people displaced. Khartoum puts the figure at 10,000 as it fights the arrest of its president, Omar al-Bashir, who stands accused of ‘the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes’ by the International Criminal Court.

Although international attention may become distracted by crises elsewhere, their tragedy continues to unfold unabated.

Yours etc.

John O’Shea

GOAL

P.O. Box 19, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

Ph: (01) 2809779