Why Don't We Care About African Genocide?

(Angus Reid Global Scan) Jonathan Cooper - Given that Americans are deeply divided on the war in Iraq, it is interesting to note that several new surveys show wide public support in the United States for some form of American military involvement in Sudan's Darfur Region, which is currently experiencing a grave humanitarian crisis. In a late June poll conducted for the Program on International Policy Attitudes, 54 per cent of respondents stated that they would support the deployment of U.S. troops in Darfur, and 71 per cent backed some form of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervention, supported in part by U.S. forces.

On the African continent, there is also broad public support for decisive United Nations (UN) action to counter crimes against humanity. In a late 2004 Program on International Policy Attitudes poll of almost 11,000 Africans in eight different countries, 65 per cent of respondents thought that the UN should authorize the use of force to stop genocide and other severe human rights violations. Unfortunately, the UN's response to the crisis in Sudan has thus far been characterized by hesitancy and inertia, and it is unlikely that strong public support for a more aggressive approach to the situation will actually lead to a timely, vigorous intervention.

The conflict in Darfur has been unfolding for almost two and a half years, and is separate from the recently concluded civil war between the rebels in Southern Sudan and the government. Darfur is a huge region in East Sudan, which is home to some 6 million people, the majority of whom are Muslims of African extraction.

[etc - article provides timeline on history of events]

Why don't Africans care about Africa. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink unless he wants to.

On the African continent, there is also broad public support for decisive United Nations (UN) action to counter crimes against humanity. In a late 2004 Program on International Policy Attitudes poll of almost 11,000 Africans in eight different countries, 65 per cent of respondents thought that the UN should authorize the use of force to stop genocide and other severe human rights violations.