Never A Bystander

To the Editor

Darfur. This is a region known by only a few people in the United States. Yet the situation going on in that region is enormous. This is the situation: Darfur, the western region of Sudan, is home to many people but these people are being pushed out and killed by the Sudanese government. The United Nations knows they have to do something but they are still hesitant because they don’t know how they should help. Even though they know tens of thousands of people are dead they still don’t want to think of this situation as genocide. A dictionary definition would label genocide as a mass killing of one race. Do you think this situation should be called a genocide?

After the Holocaust, the UN vowed to never let the same situation where over 11 million people were killed arise, but then the incident in Cambodia took form and eventually it was resolved. Once again the UN promised to keep this from happening again. Then, a few years ago Rwanda had a similar situation, where two tribes attacked each other in what became a mass slaughter and over 800,000 lost their lives. This too was stopped and the UN repeated their promise. Now the situation in Darfur has arisen and it needs to be stopped before it goes out of control.

There has been a good first step; Colin Powell has just recently named the situation in Darfur a “genocide.” This will probably encourage more people to become informed of this situation. After all, with more people getting involved, the more likely this problem will get solved.

But being informed isn’t enough. As Historian Yehuda Bauer said, “Thou shall not be a perpetrator, thou shall not be a victim, but, thou shall never, not never, be a bystander.” Everyone should embrace these words and follow them.

Being a bystander is like just watching people get killed and not doing anything about it, although you are aware that it is happening. Would you want to just stand on the side and watch a helpless baby die to a soldier’s gun? That’s when the question arises: How can we help? There are all kinds of fundraisers and products used to raise money to aid the people suffering in Darfur. An even greater step, for the more adventurous type, would be to visit the people in Darfur and investigate what’s going on and what the people need. There are already support groups located in Sudan helping out the refugees who have fled from the Sudanese government but there are only a few and not enough to stop this genocide. As more people are informed in the United States, the more people will gladly help.

Calvin Song

Newtown Middle School

11 Queen Street, Newtown          April 5, 2006