 "Photo: Peter Franklin")
A group of about 100 students heard first-hand accounts of rape, murder and torture in Darfur, Sudan, during a talk Friday by Brian Steidle, a former Marine captain and U.S. representative to the African Union's peacekeeping mission. Steidle presented photographs and poignant accounts of individuals caught in what he said is regarded as the worst humanitarian conflict today.
"I saw villages of up to 20,000 people burned to the ground. I saw government looting, burning," said Steidle, who is on a nationwide tour to speak about his experiences. "I saw people who had their ears cut off, their eyes plucked out, simply because of who they are."
The conflict is rooted in decades of civil strife and competition for resources between Arabs and non-Arabs in the regime who share the Muslim faith, he said. In February 2003, African tribes took up arms against the central Sudanese government, which responded with scores of killings.
An estimated 180,000 people have been killed and 2 million displaced, according to The Associated Press.
Steidle discussed a number of options to pacify the conflict and said the United States should serve a supportive role by helping with security and revitalizing the Darfur economy. He said the international community will not stand for a U.S. occupation in another Muslim country because of the war in Iraq.
The White Rose Society, a student organization dedicated to genocide awareness, was one of the student organizations that hosted the event. The White Rose Society was named for a small group of college students in World War II Germany who were executed for opposing the Nazi regime through a nonviolent leaflet campaign, said Neysa King, Darfur chairwoman for the society and a history senior.
"If you learn about the Holocaust but don't apply it, it seems that the point has been missed," she said. "You need to look around and see that things like this are still happening."
In 2004, President Bush and Congress recognized that the conflict was a genocide committed by the Sudanese government, but the United States has not stepped in as a major force in stopping the conflict. United Nations Security Council countries, including China and Russia, have oil interests in the country, partially contributing to the U.N.'s hesitancy to step in, Steidle said.
"Humanity has promised to never again let genocide occur," said Colin Bready, a finance senior. "We should speak out on behalf of those who are being ignored by the international community."
Heather Zidow, an executive cabinet member for Texas Hillel Jewish student organization and a biology senior, said by bringing speakers to campus and publicizing the Darfur genocide, students can learn about an issue that is not adequately covered by the mainstream media.
Zidow is also a co-chair for the student-sponsored Rally to Stop Genocide, which will be held at the Texas Capitol on April 30.
The event coincides with a national day of rallies, including one in Washington, D.C.
Steidle told students the best thing to do is send a handwritten letter to their state legislatures and join in rallies in order to put public pressure on the Bush administration and the international community to end the conflict.
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