Arab women encouraged Darfur rapes: Amnesty

NAIROBI/LONDON, JULY 20. While African women in Darfur were being raped by the Janjaweed militiamen, Arab women stood nearby and sang for joy, according to an Amnesty International report published yesterday.

The songs of the Hakama, or the ``Janjaweed women'' as the refugees call them, encouraged the atrocities committed by the militiamen.

The women singers stirred up racial hatred against black civilians during attacks on villages in Darfur and celebrated the humiliation of their enemies, the human rights group said.

...

Amnesty International collected several testimonies mentioning the presence of Hakama while women were raped by the Janjaweed. The report said: ``Hakama appear to have directly harassed the women [who were] assaulted, and verbally attacked them.''


Arab women encouraged Darfur rapes: Amnesty [www.hindu.com]

Sexual violence against girls

Girls, like women, have been raped, abducted and kept in sexual slavery. M., a Fur woman from Um Bada near Kutum reported the abduction of girls from the village by the Janjawid:

"During the attack on Kutum, many girls disappeared. Some of their names are: Hamra (15), Khadija(14), Fatima (12), Hama (10). An old woman called Khadija (80) was also abducted. Those women were taken away on camels and the Hakama saw this and cheered their men." (27)

...

The term "Hakama" refers in Darfur to female traditional singers whose function is to praise male fighters by singing and ululating. Women are sometimes active participants in armed conflicts. The phenomenon of women singing, accompanying and encouraging attackers has occurred in contexts other than Darfur. In the context of Darfur however, Amnesty International has collected some testimonies indicating the presence of women alongside the Janjawid. In these testimonies, the "Hakama" or the "Janjawid women", as they are called by the Sudanese refugees, appear to be the communicators during the attacks. They are reportedly not actively involved in attacks on people, but participate in acts of looting. Amnesty International also collected several testimonies mentioning the presence of Hakama while women were raped by the Janjawid. Hakama appeared to have directly harassed the women assaulted and verbally attacked them.

...

The women said:
'The blood of the Blacks runs like water, we take their goods and we chase them from our area and our cattle will be in their land. The power of al-Bashir belongs to the Arabs and we will kill you until the end, you Blacks, we have killed your God'.

They also insulted the women from the village saying 'You are gorillas, you are Black, and you are badly dressed'".

Sudan - Darfur: Rape as a weapon of war: sexual violence and its consequences[www.amnesty.ca]

How long until the US gets involved here? The situation in the darfur region is horrible, and disgusting. At least send a 'threatening' unit, tell 'em the Marines are comming, even if huge numbers can't be sent, seemed to work for liberia. Why should the US wait for the UN to decide whether its just mass murder or specifically genocide? The US can do this, its military is stretched thin, and yes its dangerous, but the soldiers can fight for something thats right.

What do you expect Nygdan US and this administration hart desire is located somewhere else in the Middle East.

By the time they do something about these poor people it�s going to be to late.

If the US tried to step in we'd get bashed for it anyway, with it being further "proof" of our "warmongering attitude". We're not supposed to do anything unless it's given the blessing of the UN, isn't that right? That's what I hear everybody saying. We shouldn't do anything unless the UN says it's ok. The UN should be solving this problem. Except they put Sudan on the human rights commission, so maybe they're a dead end. We've been bashed for pre-emptively striking and going against the UN for more than a year now, why should we stick our nose into another place? How many soldiers does anybody think we have? When did we plant a money tree? There are plenty of other countries outside the Coalition who are free to step in. If they are such humanitarians and so against a bad war then they should be chomping at the bit to rush into Sudan and clean it up. Why is it up to this American administration to do anything about it?

[edit on 27-9-2004 by torque]

Originally posted by torque
If the US tried to step in we'd get bashed for it anyway

I suspect that no matter what the US does its going to get bashed. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if the darfurans bashed us afterwards.

There are plenty of other countries outside the Coalition who are free to step in.

Thats the problem tho, they aren't such humanitarians, they actually do not care. The US, however, does, or at least used to. Looks liek the world is getting screwed over for turning America so sour on aiding it.

Why is it up to this American administration to do anything about it?

Because the Americans are the good guys.

marg6043
What do you expect Nygdan US and this administration hart desire is located somewhere else in the Middle East.

Oh really? Then whats stopping the UN from taking action? Or what about germany? They have a powerful military, they didn't get involved in Iraq, so they can certainly afford the troops. Doesn't that make them even worse?

Read almost every thread on this board and you'll see that the US are not the good guys. Bush is a war criminal and a liar and the Americans are stupid lazy couch potato sheep who believe Fox news and don't know their asses from a hole in the ground. We stick our noses in where it's not wanted and we're not the world police. We are dumber than other countries, run by christian wackos and need to mind our own business and clean up our own country before we go racing off to help. Besides, we only do things to get oil or money and since we might not get either out of helping Sudan, we obviously won't go. The world has shown through protest and hatred that they can run things just fine without US intervention. Someone else's taxpayers can fund the saving of Sudan.

Originally posted by Nygdan

Originally posted by torque
If the US tried to step in we'd get bashed for it anyway

I suspect that no matter what the US does its going to get bashed. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if the darfurans bashed us afterwards.

Not true, the US only gets bashed when they do something the rest of the world can see is wrong, illegal and a lie.

People do not grow hatred for the US for NO REASON. Also when the US suggests its way of life is the best and decide the rest of the world should act like it does. What a mess the world would be if every country acted in the ways the US administration does.

The world is a fine mess without acting like the US, actually. And there are plenty who hate the US just because they're "supposed to", not for a real reason. I look at some parts of the world and what's happening there and I think they could do one hell of a lot WORSE than our current administration. Be realistic, no matter how much you hate Bush.

By the way, as a side note.... any woman who cheers and encourages the rape of another woman or a child should die. I'd call them animals, but I like animals. They are worse garbage than the men.

I am calling on Germany and France to send troops to Sudan to kill the Arab militias. Sudan was a colony of England but they sent troops to Iraq while France and Germany did not. Ok France American troops are spread to thin but your's are not since you never DO anything whether it is wrong or right. Germany how about you? Send in a few of your leopard 2 tanks to wipe out those Arab militias or at least drive them underground. France, Germany what are YOU going to do? Anything? It's time for you to play "world policemen" for a bit. We Americans have done it for too long.

Originally posted by Kriz_4
What a mess the world would be if every country acted in the ways the US administration does.

Please. Democracies almost never go to war with one another. If Iraq were a democracy, then the inspectors would've stayed, and the government and people would'nt have thought it prudent to kick them out and not prove that they destroyed their chemical weapons. If every country in the world acted like the current admin, then things would be alot better. No genocide, no instituionalized rape, affirmative action as global policy, mixed economies throughout the world, etc etc. I wouldn't pretend that the Bush admin is the greatest admin ever or any of that b/s, but to even suggest that the bush regime is worse than the sudan gov right now, or hussein, or the mullahs in iran, or any of the south american juntas, of the saudi theocracy, or the taliban, thats purely and absolutely idiotic.