Gathered in Perks Wednesday night, students listened and voiced their concerns on a presentation depicting the mass killing and displacement of Sudanese refugees.
Women's studies doctoral student Shavonne Wyche hosted the event in coordination with University Residence Halls to raise awareness about genocide in Darfur among students.
"When Sudan gained its independence from England in the mid-1950s, the country was divided into north and south," Wyche said. "The north received all the resources and flourished, while the South remained undeveloped."
The event featured remarks from Wyche as well as Brittney Mandarino, an Ellicott hall director. The two also screened Darfur Diaries, a film that gave voice to representatives from rebel groups, humanitarian aid agencies, as well as international policy commentators.
Wyche provided details about the history and current state of the crisis in Sudan, as well as measures being implemented by the United Nations, the United States and other world powers to bring back peace in the war-torn Sudan.
"It wasn't until 2003 that the United Nations and the United States declared (that) the bloodshed in Darfur was considered a genocide," Wyche said.
She said that an estimated 200,000 people have died in Darfur, while two million others have been displaced as a result of the conflicts. Most flee into neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic.
"It's like a third world country or worse," Wyche said.
According to Wyche, a government-backed militia group called the Janjaweed is the major cause for the conflicts. In addition to murder, the Janjaweeds also rape and assault many women and girls, she said.
The Janjaweed is the Sudanese government's arm in carrying out what Wyche calls "ethnic cleansing" - an effort to rid Sudan of tribes, Christians and non-Muslims. The goal of the government is to leave Sudan with an all-Muslim population.
The Sudanese government rejects claims that it is involved in the mass killings in the Darfur region, she said.
"They say they are not involved in the attacks on civilians because many of the offences have often involved air strikes and artillery which the Janjaweed does not possess," Wyche said.
Humanitarian and aid relief organizations are having a hard time bringing the necessary resources that the Sudanese refugees need to survive. Relief workers are often kidnapped and even killed. According to Wyche, the humanitarian organizations have been evacuated 28 times for the safety of members' lives since last May.
Wyche proposed certain immediate actions students could take to make a difference in the lives of the displaced Sudanese. She stressed that the primary importance would be self- education by visiting websites and watching videos.
Students were encouraged to contact government representatives from the local to presidential level, donate to humanitarian organizations and vote for politicians whose agendas included an emphasis on world peace.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has been unwilling to allow U.S. and U.N. peacekeeping troops in the country, fearing that it might deteriorate to situations like the one in Iraq, Madarino said. He has, however, agreed to allow a hybrid force composed of African Union and U.N. troops into the country.
Wyche said that she continued to doubt al-Bashir's willingness to see peace in the Sudan.
"I think it is a ploy to be the African representative to the United Nations," Wyche said.
Student reaction to the event was positive, with many students saying they were willing to get involved immediately.
"I want to do something," said Stephanie Morabito, a freshman undecided major.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
