From the Salmon

If you’ve been a regular visitor to this site over the past few months, you’ll know that I’ve been attempting to write regularly about extreme poverty, particularly in Africa. So far, I’ve paid particular attention to three ongoing crises: genocide in Sudan, massive housing destruction in Zimbabwe, and most recently, the food emergency in Niger and West Africa. Each of these situations affects hundreds of thousands to millions of Africans, so I’ll do my best to provide somewhat regular updates. Here is the latest from Sudan and Zimbabwe. I’ll tackle Niger later today or tomorrow, because I saw an article this morning that I’d like to think about first.

Sudan

The historic deal that brought an end to 21 years of civil war in Sudan earlier this year elevated John Garang, the leader of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, to the position of Vice President. The optimistic idea was that peace and eventual reconciliation might be possible if the southern rebels had more of a stake in the country’s governance. There was also hope in the world community that the combination of peace and the new position for Garang might allow for a breakthrough in the efforts to bring a halt to the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

All of that was threatened at the beginning of this month when John Garang died in a helicopter crash, three weeks after taking office. Rioters killed dozens of people in the days that followed. Conspiracy theories continue to run rampant as investigations into the cause of the crash begin. But the peace process has continued, albeit more tentatively. A new Vice President, Salva Kiir, was inaugurated today. Needless to say, the future is quite uncertain.

In Darfur, strong rains and hijackings have hampered humanitarian efforts. And attacks continue, despite a growing African Union presence.

Sunday’s Washington Post ran an article by Susan Rice, former assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Like Eric Reeves last month, Rice argues for a greater NATO involvement in Darfur, claiming that the African Union will not be effective enough on its own. She continues:

In the end, what matters isn’t merely a matter of NATO logistics or U.N. mechanics. The bigger issue is whether countries such as the United States and international groups such as NATO and the A.U. embrace an emerging international norm that recognizes the “responsibility to protect” innocent civilians facing death on a mass scale and whose governments cannot or will not protect them. This norm should prevail preferably with U.N. assent, but without it if necessary. That’s why NATO was right to act in Kosovo, even when Russia prevented U.N. authorization. If Sudan opposed NATO participation in Darfur, the alliance would have to make more of a military commitment than just back-stopping the A.U., but Sudan is hardly Serbia. Unless we are prepared to accept that African lives are less important than European lives, why would we do less in Sudan?

Never is the international responsibility to protect more compelling than in cases of genocide. Genocide is not a regional issue. A government that commits or condones it is not on a par with one that, say, jails dissidents, squanders economic resources or suppresses free speech, as dreadful as such policies may be. Genocide makes a claim on the entire world and it should be a call to action whatever diplomatic feathers it ruffles.

Eugene at the Coalition for Darfur asks similar questions about global responsibility in the face of genocide, looking back at the past year and wondering “One year later, we have to ask if the ‘genocide’ declaration made any difference at all.”

Zimbabwe

Not much progress has been made in Zimbabwe. Operation Murambatsvina continues. Steve from Two and Two Makes Five writes:

This government-sanctioned action is putting the very poorest of the poor at the doorstep of death. No income, and with unemployment reaching 70% and inflation in triple digits, no hope for an income. No shelter, and with government bulldozers razing every informal house (read: shack) in sight, no hope for a roof. No health care, and with poor sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and TB killing thousands, no hope for good health. No food, and with grain-laden relief trucks turned away at the country’s borders, no hope for a meal. You won’t see it on CNN or FOXNews because it isn’t a story that sells. They assume you don’t care. They might be right.

One sign of hope comes from the churches in South Africa. A delegation of church leaders visited those victimized by Mugabe’s latest purges and returned home to put pressure on President Thabo Mbeki.  Mugabe is increasingly counting on a significant loan from Mbeki in order to avoid expulsion from the International Monetary Fund. But Mbeki has indicated that the loan may be conditional on Mugabe’s willingness to engage in talks with opposition parties in Zimbabwe. Additionally, the South African Council of Churches is sending 37 tons of food aid to help those who lost their homes.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that Mugabe refuses to hold talks with the opposition. The African Union, finally taking some initiative, has dispatched an envoy to mediate the talks. That certainly sounds like a good move, except the man they have chosen, former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano, happens to have been — I kid you not — the best man at Mugabe’s wedding.

Oh, and the 37 tons of food aid? Held up at the border.

Africa Resources

If you’re interested in following these events but you don’t want to wait for my periodic updates, I’d encourage you to explore the list of Africa resources I’ve added to my sidebar. It’s a growing mix of advocacy groups, bloggers, and news sites. I’ll add to it as I discover other worthwhile sites, and I’m certainly open to additional suggestions. If it becomes too long and unwieldy, I might move the list to its own page.