The U.S. government is supporting genocide in Sudan. By not actively stepping in to mediate the situation in Sudan, our country is endorsing a regime dedicated to exterminating a large portion of its population, most notably in the western region of Darfur.
In 2005, the United States actively engaged in helping to oversee peace talks and the resulting Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which successfully ended the 22-year civil war between north and south Sudan. The United States is often quick to reiterate its “tireless” support for fostering peace and stability by reminding people it contributes more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance each year to Sudan. What exactly does that mean? Basically, more verbal fodder for President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to use as they twiddle their thumbs as President Omar al-Bashir steals the election from the Sudanese people through intimidation, vote rigging and serious reports of fraud.
Free and fair, says Scott Gration, Obama’s appointed special envoy to Sudan. Why, then, have 2.6 million people internally displaced by the ongoing civil war and genocide in Darfur been denied their right to vote? If these elections are free and fair, why did the only opposition presidential candidate, along with all major opposition parties, boycott the election?
Only one thing could deter these people from voting in their first election in 24 years: They know the elections are a sham. In June 2009, the BBC reported that al-Bashir threatened to expel all international poll observers after the mere suggestion that elections be delayed a month because of security concerns. If the president was so concerned with having free and fair elections, he would embrace the idea of delaying the election to ensure a free and fair process. Unfortunately, the only thing al-Bashir is concerned with is legitimizing his regime in the eyes of the international community. Legitimacy through votes is a sure way for al-Bashir to continue his iron grip on power, and rage a brutal military offensive in Darfur and southern Sudan once again without anyone standing up to him. After all, he is an indicted war criminal by the International Criminal Court, but that has done absolutely nothing to stop al-Bashir from reducing 80 percent of all villages in Darfur to ashes.
Why is it necessary the United States do something? In addition to pouring more than $100 million taxpayer dollars into preparing for these elections it knew was rigged from the start, the U.S.-based Carter Center is the only organization employing independent poll observers in Sudan. On the eve of elections, the European Union deemed it too risky a situation in Darfur to dispatch observers, saying it was impossible for them to reach the area if humanitarian assistance could not. Despite this grim picture, the Carter Center decided to maintain the façade that free and fair elections were still possible for the largest region in Sudan.
The Sudanese Democracy First Group, a coalition of Sudanese activists, strongly denounced the Carter Center’s presence in an open letter to the center, saying “the Carter Center’s reputation is on the line in Sudan, with the imminent reproduction of a regime with a history of two decades of repression and violence and the future of peace, stability and democracy in Sudan in the balance. We ask you to consider your position very carefully and withdraw prior to the announcement of the already known results of these ‘elections.’
It is imperative that the Obama administration denounce these election results, scheduled to be announced today. With the trust of the Sudanese people already greatly damaged by Envoy Gration’s complacent and accommodating approach to the al-Bashir regime, denouncing the results could be the last opportunity the United States has before the country plunges back into civil war. I refuse to let the Obama administration forget its promise to the Sudanese people, and so should you.
Grace Goode is a member of the student anti-genocide group TerpsSTAND and can be reached at gracel.goode at gmail dot com.
