Saturday, December 31, 2016

The Legacy of President Obama Regarding Sudan


It would be unconscionable to lift sanctions on a government who has had a history of genocide as an ongoing policy. And a history of lying. I consider it a betrayal if the United States lifts sanctions on the Sudan government. In his first term, President Obama wrote to me that Darfur and Sudan are a priority to his administration. I have seen no sign of this being true. Senator Barack Obama said in his speech at the Save Darfur Rally on April 30, 2006  "If we care, the world will care. If we bear witness, the world will know. If we act, the world will follow." We have done nothing to show we care. If only words could heal ~ and they can play a part, but we need our leaders to have the political will and moral integrity to act on behalf of courage and basic human rights that allow living out a normal lifespan with dignity. We are waiting for the actions of our honorable President to match the words he so eloquently and rightly spoke when he was a U.S. Senator and a Presidential candidate. 
 
There is nothing redeeming about being silent when speaking up is the humane thing to do. The honor and integrity of the human race relies on it. Complicity is not a policy. Complicity comes from a lack of will.  It comes from an administration that has lost its moral compass.  It comes from a world too wrapped up in its self-importance to stop and contemplate just what human disaster will we condemn, if not genocide. Just exactly when is genocide not okay with us? Just exactly which group of people can we turn our backs on and the definition of genocide fits our values? A moral nation needs to stand up for justice. Genocide flourishes when there is no accountability. Where there is a will there is always a way. Where there is no will there is never a way. 
 
One voice won’t stop a genocide, but that is no excuse to be silent. I have never chosen silence regarding Sudan. I cannot imagine lifting sanctions is the honorable thing to do. How can this administration? Omar Hassan Al Bashir is a suspect at large from the International Criminal Court for 10 counts of crimes: 5 counts of crimes against humanity: murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, and rape; 2 counts of war crimes: intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, 3 counts of genocide. The legacy of President Obama and his administration regarding Sudan is already poor, lifting sanctions would make the legacy even worse.  Sandra Hammel