The International Criminal Court is set to announce today whether it will issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, for allegedly masterminding the Sudanese genocide.
Sudan’s government denies it orchestrated genocide in the civil war, putting the number of deaths at 10,000.’ The United Nations puts the number of deaths at 300,000.
These deaths are a result of a long and bloody civil war between the current Arab rulers of Sudan and native African tribal groups.
Although racial tension has been latent, the violent flashpoint came when Chinese economic expansion drove it to seek oil in Sudan.
China imports almost half its oil, buying almost 60 percent of Sudan’s total output, which supplies roughly 7 percent of China’s total oil imports.’
In addition to pouring oil dollars into Sudan, China has also invested heavily in Sudanese infrastructure, and sold $3 million in arms to al-Bashir’s ruling party in 2003, which grew to $55 million by 2006.
C.T. Bauer College of Business issued diplomas in May 2007 to 31 executives of three Chinese oil companies, all linked to oil exploitation in Sudan.
The UH Anti-Genocide Coalition unearthed documentation of UH endowment investment in China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. in 2008, totaling more than $610,000.
We all bear some blame for Darfur and for the bloody conflict that has raged there, as our institution has had ties with those funding the conflict.’
Although documentation of the genocide has been deemed classified by the investigating African Union, images of the conflict have leaked out and speak for themselves as to the systematic and unrestrained violence.
‘We as humans, all races, religions, colors, creeds, etc., have to stand up for what is right,’ whistleblower Brian Steidle, said in a letter to his sister.’
We at The Daily Cougar call on the ICC to arrest al-Bashir and begin shedding light on the conflict in Darfur.’