Hell on Earth

"On September 29, the AU base in Haskanita was attacked and destroyed, killing 10 peacekeepers. Rebels were suspected of being behind the attack on the AU base.
In the following days, while the government controlled Haskanita, the former rebel-held town was burned to the ground and thousands of residents were sent fleeing.

Suleiman Jamous, respected humanitarian coordinator for the Sudan Liberation Army, said 105 people died when government forces and allied militia razed the town.
Analysts said the fact that rebel factions were suspected of attacking the AU Haskanita base gave Khartoum cover for an offensive to garner as much land as possible before the talks.
"The upshot of this strategy, of course, is that it becomes more difficult by the hour for any rebel faction or leader to show up in Sirte, Libya in 19 days," said U.S. academic Eric Reeves."

- BBC News.


Darfur, Sudan.
Welcome to Hell on Earth.

The small town of Haskanita, which had only 5,000 residents a few years ago, was home to at least 40,000 refugees from neighboring areas of Darfur.
Today, it is deserted.
To sum up what happened there, rebel forces attacked an African Union peacekeeping base there, hoping to bring more international attention to the genocide in Darfur. Sudanese government troops arrived and forced the rebels out of the area. The remaining peacekeepers were then evacuated.

With the peacekeepers gone, the Sudanese military burned Haskanita to the ground... several women were raped and locked into the burning homes, and over 100 men, women, and children were killed execution style...shot at point blank range.

And the United Nations still refuses to call the atrocities in Darfur genocide.

By the grace of God, the thousands that called Haskanita home had already fled before the Sudanese army arrived. The small African Union peacekeeping force has promised to deal with those responsible for the genocide in a much more forceful manner from now on...to bad for the 400,000 that are already dead, I guess.

With the number of attacks like these occurring more and more frequently now, the peace talks that are scheduled to begin in a few weeks are in danger of not happening. And with the potential delay of the 26,000 strong international peacekeeping force already occurring, the death toll could be on par with the genocide that occurred in Rwanda if a solution is not found soon...history is repeating itself.

At this point, I'm in favor of what appears to be the inevitable: turn the future peacekeeping force into an invasion force. Politics aren't working, peace talks aren't working, and cease-fires aren't working.

While I do believe that the peace Christ offers is the only solution to the bloodshed in Darfur, I also am a realist. Neither side is going to sit down and accept the freedom Christ gives until the fighting is stopped. The Sudanese government, in fact, has already made it clear that it isn't going to accept Christ; it did so when it murdered hundreds of thousands of Christians in southern Sudan over the past twenty years. Another untold genocide in Sudan...

And rebel forces aren't going to sit down and accept the peace of Christ until the Sudanese government can be kept from murdering more defenseless people.

Christ can heal the bleeding wounds of Darfur, but wounds can't be healed until the disease that caused the wound is dealt with. In this case, the disease is the government-sponsored genocide. Until the peacekeepers arrive, the wounds will keep bleeding.

How much genocide does it take to make humanity realize it must be stopped? How many defenseless lives must be lost before we stop it? How long is the Christian Church going to sit back and allow sin to massacre humanity, unchecked and unchallenged?

After the Holocaust, the world said, "Never again..."
After Khmer Rouge, the world said, "Never again..."
After Rwanda, the world said, "Never again..."

Empty words from an empty world.

So, here's the deal. Get off your high horse and off your lazy ass and go to www.savedarfur.org. There are several petitions that need to be signed, there are lists of ways you can get involved, and you can always tell a friend about the genocide.

If you want to make an immediate impact on helping to save lives in Darfur, Samaritan's Purse is in great need of monetary support as they expand their relief operations in Darfur.

For detailed reports on the genocide, visit www.eyesondarfur.org. There you can find satellite imagery, pictures, and eyewitness accounts of the genocide in Darfur.

Being an activist doesn't mean you have to march in protests or give every penny you have to the United Nations. Praying and telling friends about it is more than the rest of the world is doing, and its a good start. Spreading the word will help get the job done.

Getting your church involved is another good way to help. I was very surprised when my church responded with an immediate, emergency monetary donation to Samaritan's Purse, and prayer support.

So, stop worrying about your girlfriend or boyfriend problems. They pale in comparison to what is happening in Darfur. PEOPLE ARE DYING! Would you want the world to ignore your desperate case if our government was killing us? OF COURSE NOT! Millions of lives are at risk, and if the violence isn't stopped soon, it could be years before it is over. And God knows the last thing this world needs is another Holocaust or another Rwanda...

Let's kill genocide...

In Christ,
Hackett