Transcript:
"Is it possible for genocide to become a populist issue? Or is it just plain sick. The entire world is focused on the "genocide" in Darfur--dozens of humanitarian groups have devoted their efforts to stopping it, college speakers have committed their time to making others aware of it, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Al Bashir because of it. Meanwhile, south of Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 400,000 Congolese have died every year for the past decade as result of lack of clean water and health care. In Zimbabwe, over 4000 have died in the recent months alone from the recent cholera epidemic and more are suffering from other water born diseases due to restrictive UN economic sanctions, which have blocked all aid from entering. Since January of 2007, over 870,000 Somalians have been displaced and sent to refugee camps in the wake of intense civil war and conflict, with one of the largest death tolls ever recorded for Africa. The main cause of death? Diarrhea, due to lack of potable water and necessary infrastructure.
"It is this silent genocide which is not being discussed. And this genocide is not due to the so-called brutality of African leaders, but is, in reality, a result of the extreme underdevelopment of the entire continent. The lack of proper water management systems, of decent healthcare standards, of an "integrated" modern railway system, and of suitable educational facilities is the true cause of the tragedy in Africa--this is the center-piece issue which we must address today in any discussion we have regarding the continent.
"Currently, pressure is being put on the Obama administration to take a position in supporting the ICC indictment of Bashir, by Susan Rice, our UN ambassador, who is recognized as a "leading expert" on Africa. However, as Lyndon LaRouche stated in his March 21st webcast, not only is Susan Rice not qualified to speak on the Sudan situation, but her actions will destroy Africa and any possibility for a US-led economic recovery for the entire world. After all, it was Susan Rice, as under-secretary of state for Africa under Madeleine Albright, who instigated many of the US hostilities against the Sudanese government, including her policy, along with Al Gore, to bomb the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum in 1998. Today, as the US ambassador to the UN, Rice has become a crucial part of Obama's cabinet. As her actions during the Clinton presidency through to today dictate, Obama must not listen to Susan Rice. She does not know anything about the true history of Africa nor what is required to solve the crisis in the region.
"Now, if we are serious about understanding what to do NOW regarding Sudan and the rest of Africa, then we must understand the nature of the British Empire's operations in the continent. Today, we witness a complete lack of development in the entire region--utter devastation! But, why is that? Is it that the African people are inferior? Or if they are not, if they are truly human, as apart from mere beasts, then how is it that Africa was destroyed?
"Take the case of Sudan, where much of today's current political conflict is centered. President Bashir cannot be held responsible for the atrocities and civil war in the darfur region because the entire conflict was staged, directed, and fomented by the British Empire--a track of activities and events that takes us back to British geopolitical warfare at the turn of the 20th century.
"Imagine this. A long line of French troops, led by John Baptiste Bashal, had just come off of a long trek from Senegal across the entirety of central Africa, and into Fashoda, a city in central Sudan. The British column, headed up by Lord Kitchener, arrived in Fashoda coming from Egypt down the Nile, following their bloody massacre of the Mahdi movement at the battle of Omdurman. There they stood in Fashoda, British and French, facing each other for months, with not a gun or canon fired on either side. Bashal's plans to cut off the British forces at Fashoda had failed. Kitchener's objective was to keep the Nile, the gateway through Africa, under the control of the British. Finally, following months of stalemate, and increasing geopolitical pressure and upheaval from the European continent, including the British orchestration of the Dreyfuss Affair, the French quietly folded, and the Fashoda agreements were reached.
"The Fashoda agreements divided Africa along arbitrary borders, giving the French everything west of the Nile, including Chad and Morroco, and giving the British Sudan, Egypt, and modern day Kenya. Since then, the British have done everything in their power to manipulate these borders, instigating artificial tribal conflict and warfare. This is the true reason for the Darfur conflict today, which lies on the British created border between Chad and Sudan.
"The problem is that years of colonial occupation and instigated warfare have left little opportunity for real economic progress. Africa has been in the dark ages for the last century and more--it is the lack of basic infrastructural and the constant conflict over scarce water resources and arable land which is the real silent killer.
"So, if you really want to solve the conflict in Darfur? Then build nuclear desalination plants and irrigation channels to divert water into the arid region. US President Barak Obama must take a firm stance towards developing Africa--it is the least our first African-American president can do. Don't get caught up in faulty and dangerous advice on Sudan and Darfur. And most of all, don't be drawn in by a populist view of "genocide."
"After all, how many people are we willing to let die, before you realize that popular opinion is just plain wrong."
