Darfur "Revisionism"

I found this on Portland indymedia and thought it was interesting. I put it in the context of feeling very manipulated, as a feminist, toward the idea that US intervention in Afghanistan was warranted because the Taliban were so evilly misogynist. Therefore, when I hear stories about Darfur, I keep a skeptical eye on the possibility that similar manipulation could be taking place. -- c455

by Diego Jones
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2008/12/383777.shtml

It's very difficult to know for sure what the realities are rather than how they appear. In Sudan it seems that 2.5 million people are internally displaced you can see it on TV. 300,000 to 500,000 killed, and the president responsible for it all. Oh and the Janjaweed. Oh I forgot about China. Oh yeah I keep forgetting, the Arabs are killing the blacks. I think that covers it.

After living in Sudan for three years and just returning after spending two, I am surprised at the ignorance regarding what is happening there. I am not really surprised given, how can 'you' really know what is happening. I can't expect people to get on a plane and go just to see for themselves. Well a little information you might not know. I'll give you the facts you can put the pieces together.

1) Oil was discovered in Darfur
2) Sudan's government was signing a peace agreement with the south when they were attacked by rebels
3) Sudan is very poor in all areas except Khartoum
4) Sudan has over 125 different tribes and languages
5) The US has imposed sanctions on Sudan because they have an islamist government
6) China and America are in a competition for oil
7) The only country to call whats happening in Darfur a genocide is the US
8) All Sudanese are black. Sudan means land of black people
9) Some Arabs look more black than so called blacks, some so called blacks look more Arab than black
10) I was told by a Sudanese that when Colin Powell came to Darfur he was asked to identify the blacks and Arabs and he couldn't. It's impossible.
11) Sudan says ten thousand were killed
12) Tribes have been fighting in Sudan for resources for centuries
13) There have been no mass graves discovered even after the UN was deployed.
14) 500,000 thousand bodies is hard to cover up
15) In Darfur there are very few schools, medical facilities, and food and clean water is scarce
16) Humanitarian organizations offer education, medical care, and food and drinking water within refugee camps.
17) Many people left poverty in their villages for these camps and are now refusing to leave the camps
18) China is pumping a lot of oil and wants to start drilling in Darfur
19) The Darfur rebels don't want china to drill and do development work they prefer western countries
20) Sudan doesn't manufacture weapons
21) The leaders of the many rebel movements live in France, Britain, the US and other western counties
22) The leaders of the rebel movements refused to negotiate because people who didn't pick up arms and didn't fight the government were allowed into the negotiating room.
23) China has been linked with Genocide in Darfur
24) China hosted the Olympics and won the most gold medals
25) Women were raped when they left UN camps to get firewood.
26) The camps didn't assist the women as they got the firewood
27) There was no one who could go with these women to get firewood so they wouldn't get raped.
28) All Sudanese with Arab ancestry are called Janjaweed in Darfur because they are nomadic and ride horses and camels
29) Their is desertification and scarcity of resources