Sudan Ambassador to the US: Witness of Darfur Genocide
By Steve Paterno
June 5, 2007 — The Sudanese Ambassador to the U.S., John Lueth Ukec, drew a lot of heat last week in his prematurely arranged press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. as he tried in vain to defend the position of the genocidal regime in Khartoum. (For reference see, Washington Post:Denying Genocide in Darfur — and Americans Their Coca-Cola” by Dana Milbank www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/30/AR2007053002157_pf.html)
Perhaps the Ambassador is right by blaming the Americans as he said, “you are failing me in particular. The people of Sudan sent me here because they know I have good relationship with you guys. . . . And I come and I’ve been slammed with the sanctions.” Less than three years ago, the Ambassador was rallying the American people to stop what he called genocide in Darfur. On Iowa State Daily, a student newspaper, the Ambassador wrote an article title, “Genocide in Sudan, From One Who’s Been There.” (The article in its entirity is printed below).
Reading through his article, it raises some important questions, not least among the questions: whether the Ambassador is really himself or he is just one of those political opportunists who shift with the blow of the wind.
Anyway, it is difficult to argue that the situation in Darfur improve from less than three years ago as the Ambassador may argue in defence of his changed of opinion. If anything, the situation actually worsen. Actually, more people have been displaced and scores are massacred since 2004. The Khartoum government managed successfully to frustrate the International Community at every effort including humanitarian effort. Worse, since then, Mini Manawi, formerly, a leader of major Darfur rebel group joined Khartoum in massacring spree of the Darfurians. And another development is that since then, John Lueth Ukec became the Ambassador of Khartoum in the U.S., therefore, switching his opinion as a result. The Ambassador may switch opinions or allegiance, but the facts hardly change.
A minister from Khartoum once escorted U.S. Congressional delegates in a ruined and deserted village in Darfur, and upon witnessing the devastation inflicted on that village, the minister asked, his visitors, the Americans “do you see? Where is the evidence of desvastation?” The American delegation were outraged but can do nothing. The fact is, the people who are running the government in Khartoum careless about evidence or facts, but before they notice it, the evidences and facts will catch up with them.
Below is Sudanese Ambassador, John Lueth Ukec’s article written less than three years ago claiming that he is a firsthand witness of genocide in Darfur. Perhaps the Darfur Coalition should enlist him on their witness list before the International Criminal Court at the Hague grab him as a witness.
Genocide in Sudan, from one who’s been there
By John Lueth,
Iowa State Daily Columnist
Sept. 21, 2004 — Iowa State University, and the world at large, are perplexed about the mass killings, rapings and human rights violations happening in the Darfur region of Western Sudan. Until recently, the international community has largely ignored the genocide, which has killed more than two million people in the last 20 years.
My country has been in turmoil since 1955. When the British left and Sudan gained independence, the Northern Sudanese (who are predominantly Muslim) placed a short leash on the Southern Sudanese (who are predominately Christian). In a move dubbed “internal colonialism,” North Sudan took control of the South and denied the South Sudanese positions as government administrators, teachers, police officers and other positions of importance.
The tribes of Darfur are sedentary farmers with their livelihood based on the land and a few domesticated animals. Alongside the African tribes are nomadic Arabs — with whom they have lived in relative harmony for thousands of years. These nomadic tribes have had disputes with the Africans in the past, but disputes of this sort, though common, have never lead to the magnitude of the current tragedy.
Until February 2003, all the violence and war in Sudan was between the North and South. But upon learning that the conflict between the North and South was being settled, the African tribes of Darfur launched a rebellion in February 2003 to end their oppression.
The Sudanese government responded to the rebellion of the Africans in Darfur by recruiting Arab tribes. They trained and mobilized them to do the fighting for the government. The Sudanese army and their arsenals backed this tribal militia, called the Janjaweed.
They are armed with rifles and mounted on horses. They raid villages, kill men, rape women and set villages on fire. Their incentive is to loot whatever they can get. Once the African farmers’ land is vacated, they take it for their own personal use.
The Sudanese government sees African farmers as sympathizers to the rebels. They think terrorizing them and making them run to Chad or Southern Sudan will deny the rebels safe haven, food and the ability to recruit more insurgents.
This horrible counter-insurgency strategy has been used by Sudan for decades. Arab militia called “Muraheleen” devastated South Sudan in the mid 1980s. They overran villages, killed Southern Sudanese in masses and took women and children into slavery. My cousin, wife and three children have been taken by the militia and are nowhere to be found.
Southern Sudanese like me are wondering why the world is waking up at last to the atrocities engineered by the Sudanese government. They pitch tribe against tribe, Muslims against Christians and now the Arab militia against the African population in Western Sudan.
The Africans and the Arab nomads have lived as neighbors for thousands of years without such a massacre of innocent civilians. The Sudanese government must be accountable for the genocide that has occurred.
However, calling upon the Sudanese government to disarm the Janjaweed is a fantasy. The Sudanese army is in alliance with a government that is unbreakable. In fact, the Janjaweed does the dirty work for the government.
For those of us at Iowa State and the world at-large, we need to help the displaced people by contributing anything that can mitigate their current situation. Clothing, shelter and food are very critical right now.
However, we as individuals must work to prevent atrocities by the government. The world organizations cannot deliver on the threats against the Sudanese government without pressure from each and every one of us.
There is a rich history between the Sudanese and Iowa State because of alumni from that country. We need to honor this bond by working together to stop the deplorable actions in Sudan.
* The author is a Sudanese based in the USA. He can be reached at [email protected]