At this moment (Thursday May 15th 2008) Salah Gosh Security forces and Special Forces ( The Capital Troops) with huge amounts of vehicles and troops are surrounding the largest market in Omdurman that is known to have large stores owned by Darfuris : Market of Libya ( Soug Libya ). They are detaining any Darfuri there: Store owners, customers, street sellers, passers-by. Women are detained, at least two killed inside their homes separately in Ombudah, another one killed in the street in Omdurman when she tried to protect her brother from Security forces. She was shot at point blank on the face. All women are from Zaghawa tribe.
Paramilitary and security forces went from house to house in darfuri predominant neighborhoods (Umbada, Fitaihab, Libiya Market in Omdurman), arrest male darfurians (mainly from Zaghawa tribe), beaten and kicked in front of their families and children, some are beaten by the end of assault rifles, then thrown on the back of security trucks and taken away (not known where).
Words cannot describe. They cannot depict the unimaginable fear civilians must experience day in and day out nor could words capture my disgust with the outside world's response to the daily reports of rape, pillage and plunder carried out against African tribes living in the Darfur region. The mindset and mandate of the Janjaweed militia is to "spread the seed" at all costs in gruesome, calculated acts of genetic extermination. Any Warrior's Honor or moral code of combat is entirely lost on these pirates.
Almost half a decade has passed since the first reports of violence and ethnic tension surfaced. Sadly the voices from Darfur remain ignored - like the cacophony of whispers we couldn't hear in 1994. The world cried out "Never Again" at the United Nations after the full extent of horrors were revealed in Rwanda, but matching definitive language with sincere, actionable follow-up has never been a strong point of the international community.
The chorus of apologies on behalf of hypocritical, feeble governments has become so cliche. At this stage in the Darfur genocide, perhaps intercession is all we have at our disposal. But even this seems inconsequential...
Will the day ever come when citizens of the international community respond with something other than "Shame on us"???????????
