BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan

Subject: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 02:43 PM

I'm disturbed, though sadly, not shocked that while this story is on the front page of BBC News Online, it isn't even being mentioned in the American press that I find.

From the article:

More than 100 women have been raped in a single attack carried out by Arab militias in Darfur in western Sudan.
Speaking to the BBC, the United Nations co-ordinator for Sudan, Mukesh Kapila, said the conflict had created the worst humanitarian situation in the world.

He said more than one million people were affected by "ethnic cleansing".

He said the fighting was characterised by a scorched-earth policy and was comparable in character, if not in scale, to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Link to the article is here:

Mass rape atrocity in west Sudan

A horrific story, and criminal (though typical) that it isn't being covered in the US.

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: Alice
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 02:54 PM

news.google.com search brings up the story reported by Reuters "UN: Sudan's Darfur War Recalls Rwanda Bloodshed" and Washington Times "Mass rape campaign reported in Sudan" and Voice of America "Sudan's Darfur Region Called Worst Humanitarian And Human Rights ...", but you're correct that currently most of the reports are in non-US media.  

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: Nemesis
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 04:26 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: M.Ted
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 06:20 PM

This war has largely been overlooked by American media, for the simple reason that most everything that happens in the world that does not directly involve Americans is never covered in the American media--when you ask news people about this, the long and short response is that they don't cover it because "Americans aren't interested"though how they would know that is a bit difficult to understand--thankfully, those of us who remember that there is a larger and more populated world out there can now can watch BBC World News--

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: harvey andrews
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 07:38 PM

Sorry to be cynical, but I don't think there's oil in Sudan. Or anything else much the new American Empire might wish to acquire.

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: CarolC
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 10:28 PM

It appears that there is oil in Sudan:

Sudan deal opens door to oil

...and it seems to be a big part of the problem. My guess is that if the US is keeping a 'hands-off' stance in this case, it's because it sees such a stance as being in it's best interest as far as oil is concerned.

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: harvey andrews
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 11:09 AM

Thanks for that info Carol...seems it might be a case of "watch this space"

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 12:16 PM

...indeed

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 04:52 PM

Since there are Americans with families in most parts of the world, that assumption that there's no interest in what happens in "the old country" seems a bit strange. Even a small minority in the USA is likely to mean an awful lot of people.

Subject: RE: BS: Mass rapes in West Sudan
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Mar 04 - 10:22 AM

This sort of terrorism using rape isn't just an isolated African problem. It was also a method of terrorism popular in the Balkans wars, in Asia. It is, sad to say, a common form of political terrorism.

As to the US media reporting these things--it is so rare as to be non-existent. Just look at the situation in Congo, and the millions of dead in African conflicts, under African dictators in the past decade alone in the Congo, Sierra Leone, Niger, etc. Makes Saddam Hussein look like a Sunday school teacher.