Darfur is a nation under siege, and the United States is more than capable of helping, saving lives, and ending the genocide. Darfur, part of Sudan, Africa, is a small nation that is lost and helpless right now. Most people around the world do not understand the conflict that is going on. A war that is the reason for many innocent deaths could possibly come to end with the help from the United States of America.
First off, what exactly is Genocide This term means the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group. The genocide in Darfur is a serious issue, one that has already claimed over 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people. More than one hundred people continue to die each day and five thousand die every month. This is a result of the ongoing government campaign to destroy a portion of its population. Since 2003, the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the government-sponsored Janjaweed militia has used rape, displacement, organized starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murders against the innocent civilians of Darfur.
Most people may not be familiar with the term genocide, how serious of an issue it actually is, or what the term even means. One historical event that has taken place which may help people better understand genocide is the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the systematic and deliberate execution of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Jews were then placed into ghettos and concentration camps, transit camps and forced labor camps for Jews during the war years. As the war progressed the Jews were sent to killing centers, where they would be murdered in specially developed gassing facilities. The Jews were treated unfairly just because they were seen as being inferior because of the difference in religion and culture. These were some of the reasons behind their execution. This shows that the term genocide is a term that is well known and goes hand-and-hand with a serious matter.
The genocide in Darfur is an event that should not be going on according to history. As World War II ended, the world claimed the Holocaust would ???never again??? be repeated. The United States has shown no indication to intervene despite their explicit obligations under the 1948 Convention of Genocide. The convention, a major pillar in the evolving framework of international humanitarian rules, declares genocide a crime under international law. It condemns genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, and provides a definition of this crime. Moreover, the prescribed punishment is not subject to the limitations of time and place (Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, New York, 9 December 1948). This exert explains how genocide is a crime. It doesn??™t matter what the case is, whether it is war or peace time, and shows there is no exceptions for time or place. As of 15 June 2000, there are 42 signatories and 130 contracting parties regarding the Convention of Genocide. So why is it that there are no nations stepping forward to aid the civilians of Darfur
The United States government has been proactive in speaking out in support of the people of Darfur, but there is still additional work that needs to be done. Even though the United States has been speaking out in support of Darfur, it has yet to take the necessary actions to end the genocide. There are three main reasons the United States should take action in Darfur. The first is the convention obligations under the Genocide Convention. Another is the United States involvement in Sudan??™s peace process, supported by an eclectic domestic constituency, including groups ranging from the evangelical right to the Congressional Black Caucus and the unique US intelligence capacity to track militia activity in Darfur as well as the movements of the displaced. At the G-8 Summit, the leaders of the world??™s richest and most powerful countries merely urged the government of Sudan to disarm the militias. Whereas if this tragedy was unfolding in Europe, their summit would have focused on intervention.
The Genocide in Darfur is a horrible conflict that is taking many innocent lives. None of the people who are capable of ending the genocide are stepping up to take action. This is a situation that cannot be taken lightly because if it is, up to a million of people could die this year. So I leave America with on question, what??™s stopping you

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