Genocide in Darfur

UN Convention defines genocide as any of a number of acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. The Convention also declares that there shall be no immunity. Persons committing this crime shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals. Furthermore, the Convention stipulates that persons charged with genocide shall be tried by a competent tribunal of the State in the territory in which the act was committed or by such international penal tribunal as may have jurisdiction with respect to the Contracting Parties. The crime of genocide is a justifiable offence under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. [source: extracted from United Nations]

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor said Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, masterminding a campaign of genocide in Darfur, killing 35,000 people, at least another 100,000 through a "slow death" and persecuting 2.5 million refugees. How ever International experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million were driven from their homes in almost five years of ethnic violence. The prosecutor said Bashir masterminded a plan to destroy the "Fur", "Masalit" and "Zaghawa" ethnic groups in Darfur by arming "Janjaweed" militia to clear civilian bases thought to be supporting rebellion. ICC want to charge Bashir with three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape, and two of war crimes. Darfur needs immediate action. The international peace keeper in huge numbers needed urgently to stop the genocide. Although the experts says, around 300,000 people have died for past 5 years but no one have the official numbers which I do believe it might reach half million people. If International bodies hold to the “wait and see” attitude may be the number will rise even to the stage the targeted ethnic group is not there any more. International members must walk their talk immediately otherwise the innocent have to pay a very high penalties for the sin they never commit. [end]