Innocent people running through the streets in horror, trying to escape from the government controlled killers called the Janjaweed militia. This is what is happening in Darfur, Sudan every day. This is the genocide. People are filled with fear of murder for their family and themselves. The terrible thing is the fact that the genocide has been going on for four years and still continues. Every time the sun rises, the people of Darfur can only pray that the genocide is ended, but it is going to take more than hope. The United States should be helping to stop the Darfur genocide because countless lives have been taken, many people are being mistreated, and an abundant amount of people have been forced from their homes.

First of all, so many lives are being and have been taken because of the genocide. How could we just let the Janjaweed mercilessly kill 400,000 people and continue adding to the mass slaughter daily? How would you feel to live in fear of your life, or if you are an adult, your children’s lives? Some groups such as Save Darfur are putting their best effort to contribute as much as they possibly can by asking for donations and giving information about the horrible events of the genocide to try to end the mass murder. This killing is inhumane and needs to be put to a stop immediately.

Secondly, loads of people in Darfur have been mistreated. Starvation is just one of the ways that the Janjaweed have been terrorizing the Darfuri people. Thousands of women and girls have also been raped and assaulted by the militia.

Another way that the civilians have been abused is when violence is performed on the streets in front of the eyes of children. The killing is done in an extremely disrespectful way because the militia will literally run around with machetes slashing heads off in plain sight and leave the bodies laying on the ground.

Thirdly, a profuse amount of families have been forced to flee their homes because of the Janjaweed overtaking their communities. Two million people have run from their homes due to the feared presence and invasion of the militia. Another whopping 3.5 million people are relying only on international aid just to survive day by day. Hundreds of rural villages have also been destroyed by the militia.

How can we help, though? Some people may think that since Darfur is all the way in Africa, that there is nothing that we in the United States can do. We have so many things that are taken for granted such as something as simple as a safe home, food on the table, and especially the ability to walk out the door and feel no threat to yourself. The people of Darfur can no longer enjoy a nice dinner with their families in their unassailable homes, then maybe go out for an ice cream and have a good time. How would you feel if this was the way it was for you? Fear envelopes the civilians in Darfur so much that going out for ice cream is out of the question because the Janjaweed are always on the hunt. The good news is that you can help. If every American contributed just one dollar toward the genocide, that would be three hundred thousand dollars to stop the madness in Darfur. I would say that that is worth one dollar out of your pocket.

If the United States would come to the aid of the genocide victims, Darfur people could once again live in peace. Destruction could be repaired and survivors could move on, but nothing can replace the lives lost. But we could prevent more killings by finally stopping the terror and keep it from ever happening again. The United States needs to come the aid of the victims of the Darfur genocide because innumerable lives have been taken, many people are being mistreated, and a huge quantity of people have been forced from their homes.