The Refugee Crisis

More than 200,000 people have been killed in a holocaust that has lasted four years in Darfur, a region in Western Sudan. Militant Arab nomads known as the janjaweed are responsible for the recurring genocide, which has displaced 2.5 million people. What’s worse is that the Sudanese government is accused of initially supporting the janjaweed. Despite peacekeeping efforts by United Nations and African Union forces, the genocide continues. The United Nations Human Rights Council reported today that there has been little improvement in Sudan during recent months.

            Israel is beset with killings and suicide bombings as Arabs and Israelis continue a century-old struggle over religious sovereignty and territories including Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.  Religious extremist groups, such as the Palestinian Hamas, continue to take desperate actions killing dozens on a far-too-regular basis.

            The death toll in Iraq continues to climb, affecting not only the Middle East but the United States and many European countries as soldiers continue to die.

             

            In addition to the sheer horror felt by the fact that genocide and war are occurring at this very moment, one must also consider the political and economic implications on other countries. Victims fleeing the various war-torn regions have created a refugee crisis that impacts many countries, regardless of whether their governments previously sought to provide aid to the countries in crisis or not.

The New York Times: UN Rights Experts: No Progress in Darfur

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-UN-Darfur-Rights.html

Times Topics: Iraq

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html?8qa

Information on the Darfur Genocide:

www.darfurgenocide.org/ 

Save Darfur:

www.savedarfur.org/  BBC Country Profile: Israel and Palestine Territorieshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/803257.stm