How to Prevent the Next Darfur

摘要

The first sign that we are en-tering a dead zone is the carcass of a camel, gathering flies and red dust Since camels can go for three weeks without water, according to local farmers, the heap of fur, hair and bleached bones is an ominous sight We enter a mud-walled, straw-roofed village. Instead of offering the usual smiles and waves, the children duck away. The reason for the villagers' fear becomes evident a few minutes later: nine turbaned men on horseback, members of the Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, appear with rifles over their shoulders. We are gone before they can react, but their presence on the road in broad daylight provides a hint of their sense of invulnerability.