Let’s compare the language that is used and the themes that are foregrounded in various local, national, and international news sources, as well as literature by de Waal.
Can you guess whether the following quotes came from news sources or de Waal? Support your choice!
1) “There is never a humanitarian solution for humanitarian problems. The solution is always political,” ________ said, referring to the situation as a “massive humanitarian emergency”. In the six months since the independence of South Sudan, 360,000 people have arrived in the newly formed nation but _________ said, “there is almost no economy, no infrastructure”, leaving those arriving to the south with little in terms of integration into the young state. _______, who is at the Davos summit to ask for further financial aid for the UN’s aid effort, asked for “massive support” from the international community to assist the hundreds of thousands of refugees. He said the UNHCR is doing all it can do to move the refugees further in-land and farther from the border regions where they could be subject to air raids and inter-community conflicts. It is “essential to preserve the civilian and humanitarian character of these camps,”_________ said. Answer
2) “The knock-down argument against humanitarian invasion is that it won’t work. The idea of foreign troops fighting their way into Darfur and disarming the Janjawiid militia by force is sheer fantasy…The only way peacekeeping works is with consent: the agreement of the Sudan government and the support of the majority of the Darfurian populace, including the leaders of the multitudinous armed groups in the region. Without this, UN troops will not only fail but will make the plight of Darfurians even worse.” Answer
3) “They worry that warrants like those against Bashir and the Congolese opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba (seized in Belgium with a sealed warrant in May 2008) may be turning criminal prosecution into a selective political instrument. Many who struggle for human rights fear that abusive governments have been handed exactly the pretext they need for refusing any international cooperation.” Answer
4) “The fact is that President Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Though so much information is left out of the equation, there is still value in targeting the truly guilty party that is the government of Sudan.” Answer
5) “We are extremely concerned that humanitarian facilities, including health centres, are being targeted during attacks. We call upon all parties to respect the neutrality of humanitarian partners.” ______ also decried the poor state of infrastructure, insufficient staff numbers and limited accessibility to the conflict areas. The UN estimates that this year alone, nearly three million could be relatively food insecure in South Sudan. Answer
6) “Yet the idealists insist on pursuing a more ambitious agenda: nothing short of democracy and justice, imposed by military intervention. And this can undermine simply getting the killing to stop. For perpetrators, the prospect of foreign intervention and prosecution rules out the possibility for compromise. For rebels, it creates a perverse incentive to escalate ethnic violence so as to provoke an international military response.” Answer
7) “I have clothes. I have shoes. But there are people there that are walking barefoot. There are people there that don’t have anything. If I can do something that will get them something, that would be great. That’s my vision. I want to do my part in the world.” Answer