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Darfur: Mass Bloodshed May Not Be Genocide

Despite the violence, Sudan crisis may not fit legal definition

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted May 4, 2009 7:38 AM CDT

(Newser) – Hundreds of thousands of people have died or been displaced in the years-long conflict in Darfur, which presidents Bush and Obama have both called a genocide. But while nobody denies the seriousness of the violence, organizations from Doctors Without Borders to the International Criminal Court say that the Sudanese government's actions don't constitute a true genocide. For them, using that word to describe Darfur is setting a hazardous precedent, writes Edmund Sanders in the Los Angeles Times.

Legally, genocide is an attempt to wipe out a racial or ethnic group, and Darfur partially fits that definition: Most of the victims have been from black African tribes that the militia leaders have called "slaves" or "subhuman." But the ICC and other groups question whether the government has true genocidal intent, and even in Darfur there is no agreement. "This isn't like the Nazis or Bosnia or Rwanda," said one man who lost 100 members of his extended family. "It's more about power, money, and land."

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Activists call for President Obama's attention in saving victims of genocide in Darfur as they rally in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, April 19, 2009. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A group of Sudanese women join activists calling for President Obama's attention in saving victims of genocide in Darfur during rally in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, right, on top of a vehicle gestures to crowds that gathered to greet him upon his arrival at the North Darfur state capital of el Fasher. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A member of the African Mission in Sudan cordons off the crowd as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits the Al Salam camp for internally displaced persons in El Fasher Wednesday Sept. 5,... (AP Photo / Zohra Bensemra, pool)

Displaced Sudanese women and children seeking medical treatment line up outside the Egyptian military field hospital at Abu Shouk refugee camp, Thursday, March 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

While the US government calls the situation in Darfur a genocide, many in international aid and diplomacy disagree. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

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The magnitude of violence in Darfur has been huge, but it's not genocide. The situation on the ground has not been an emergency since 2004. The real problem is the dependency in the camps. - Thierry Durand, director of operations for Doctors Without Borders

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Darfur: Mass Bloodshed May Not Be Genocide