I don't know how it started. But my son developed a strong interest in the conflict in Sudan... no, not the Darfur conflict, but the north-south conflict sometimes called the 2nd Sudanese Civil War. I think it was a combination of things he had been reading and items we had read as a family. Never dismiss the power of reading. Anyway, he was committed to praying for the end of the civil war in Sudan.
I am by no means an expert, but on a basic level, there were tensions because of religion, Muslim vs. Animism/ Christianity. Tensions because the south had vast natural resources (not accessible but very much present) and the north wanted access to them. Tensions because of Arab vs. non-Arab factions. And of course, tensions because of economic hardship. I'm sure a real expert could give much more nuanced details and explanations, but this was the basic understanding our family had.
Josh prayed regularly. Technically, this conflict ended on January 9,2005 with the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement. There are estimates of 2 million civillian deaths and 4 million displaced persons because of this north-south conflict. People may have heard of the lost boys of Sudan yet I doubt they can name the conflict. Few people know.
Enter Darfur. Another genocide. People are trying to get the word out... trying to stop the madness. Bloggers are using the power of the written word to publicize this tragedy. I picked up The Translator, A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur to learn more. It's just madness. I don't even know how to review the book. But I do know that the courage and persistence of people like Daoud Hari has not been wasted. He did all he could to let the outside world know of the destruction and violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. He and others continue to spread the word and hopefully to stop the madness.
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