Thursday, May 04, 2006

Careless talk costs lives: This week of all weeks, please be careful what you say about Darfur, Sudan

Daniel Davies' insightful opinion piece at the Guardian's Comments is free, reminds us all that careless talk costs lives:
This week of all weeks, please be careful what you write about the situation in Darfur, the Government of Sudan and Darfur rebels.
Darfur peace talks over the coming hours and days could make or break the region, affecting the lives of millions of refugees throughout Sudan and neighbouring countries Chad, CAR. Uganda, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea.
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Nick and George Clooney

Photo: Actor George Clooney, who has recently returned from visiting refugee camps in Darfur with his father, called the situation in Darfur "the first genocide of the 21st century". (BBC pictures online)

[Note, The International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, chaired by the Italian judge Antonio Cassese, concluded in its report published on 31 January 2005 that crimes against humanity and war crimes such as killings, rape, pillaging and forced displacement have been committed since 1 July 2002 by the government-backed forces and the Janjaweed militia. It declared, however, that the government of Sudan was not pursuing a policy of genocide in Darfur.

See Apr 9 2006 Juan Mendez, UN Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide, tells press "definitely ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur"]

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