The Darfuris, however, are moderate, Western-friendly Muslims, while the elite of the three Arab tribes that lead the National Congress Party and dominate Sudan - the Shaigiya, Jaaliyeen, and Dangala - lean Islamist. The people of Darfur are Muslim, which makes Khartoum’s violent and inequitable treatment of them Muslim-on-Muslim crimes against humanity. They were joined by members of other tribes - notably the southern Rezigat and Tai’sha - who refused to support Bashir. The government of Omar al-Bashir initiated and implemented a deliberate policy to “de-Africanize” Darfur that led to organized rebellion by the three principal non-Arab tribes: the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit. Geography and culture separate Darfur from the government of Sudan in Khartoum it has more in common with neighboring countries. Its strong tribal society includes both African and Arab tribes, pastoralists, traders, and nomads. Sudan’s western department of Darfur was an independent sultanate until incorporated into greater Sudan in 1918 at the insistence of Britain. It was, and is, in our national interest to support a strong reaction, but the argument to do so has at best been relegated to the back pages due to our poor understanding of the conflict and its concomitant issues. In the present day, despite strong rhetoric, the United States and western democracies have failed to halt the Khartoum government’s consistent plan to “de-Africanize” its western state of Darfur. peacekeeping missions that benefit participating countries and U.N. Nations act and react in their perceived national interest, while spending billions of dollars on U.N. commander on the ground, documented the shameful record of non-intervention by the U.N. In his account of events in Shake Hands with the Devil, Canadian General Rome Dallaire, the U.N. The United States referred to Rwanda as a “local conflict,” and did not intervene. In 1994, an estimated 800,000 people were slaughtered and millions fled to neighboring countries in four months alone. Twenty years ago the world stood by while Rwanda became a scene of horror with the massacre of ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutu people. Leaders of Western democracies piously vow that “never again” will they allow such actions to take place, their hollow words translating to “Never again - until next time.” The events that took place during these periods in these countries resulted in more than 17 million deaths related to 20th century genocides or ethnic cleansing, each with little or late reaction by the community of nations.
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