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China, Sudan and the Summer Olympics

External players may in fact be the final arbiters in the Darfur conflict, as their role inside the situation is significant. While it would be expected that the entire international community would be interested in if not working to stop the conflict, some players, such as China, have only been exacerbating the situation. The fate of Darfur is in the hands of China’s diplomatic capabilities. China’s money has the capacity to either perpetuate the ‘janjaweed’ genocidal campaign or, if policy is changed, to play a positive roll in ending the crisis in Sudan. Since the IIJD’s article in June 2007, China has made significant changes to its policies in Sudan, appointing longtime diplomat Liu Guijin as a special envoy to the region and sending 140 engineers to help prepare for the arrival of African Union and United Nations peacekeepers [1]. These efforts have earned praise from the United States as well as the approval of the IIJD.

The conflict in Darfur was caused and has been prolonged by systemic weakness in the Sudanese government. Darfur, which means land of the Fur, has faced many years of tension over land and grazing rights between the mostly nomadic Arabs and farmers from the Fur, Massaleet and Zagawa communities. In February 2003, the Sudanese government allowed pro-government militias called the Janjaweed to carry out massacres against black villagers and rebel groups in the region. These Arab militias, believed to have been armed by the government, have killed an estimated 400,000 civilians and displaced more than 1 million [2]. The conflict began in 2003 after a rebel group began attacking government targets, saying the region was being neglected by Khartoum. The rebels also hold that the government is oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs. There are two main rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) that have both split, some along ethnic lines. What began as a rebellion in 2003 has degenerated into what has been recently recognized as genocide.

The Sudanese government has done little to stop the Janjaweed from carrying out their attacks. The government has admitted to mobilizing “self defense militias” following rebel attacks, but denied using the Janjaweed specifically. Sudan's government denies being in control of the Janjaweed and President Omar al-Bashir has referred to them as "thieves and gangsters". Refugees from Darfur say that following air raids by government aircraft the Janjaweed ride into villages on horses and camels, killing men, raping women and stealing whatever they can find. It is clear that, alongside stopping the violence in Sudan, governmental reforms will be necessary as well. The IIJD believes that the underlying causes of the crisis are not only found in the poor leadership exhibited but also in the weak institutions upon which these leaders operate.

In June of 2007 Sudan agreed to open its borders to a UN peacekeeping force; however, the proposed 26,000-member force has been delayed in part by the Sudanese president's insistence that participating troops be predominantly African [3]. China has also worked to protect the Sudanese government, which has in turn prevented any progress. China has become Sudan's international protector. As the largest foreign investor in Sudan, China has an economic interest in ensuring that the Sudanese government is not penalized too harshly. It has been opposed to sanctions against Sudan from the start of the conflict. Sudan's few independent voices say this has brought disastrous consequences.

"The crisis in Sudan is being fuelled by the issue of oil," said William Ezekiel, editor of the Khartoum Monitor [4]. Almost unnoticed by the outside world, China has become the key player in Sudan's oil industry. Beijing has invested 8 billion dollars in Sudanese oil through the China National Petroleum Company; the cost of Khartoum's new refinery alone was about 350 million [5]. China is now dependent on Sudan for seven percent of all its oil imports [6].

In addition to helping Khartoum’s economy, the Chinese government is also offering military aid. According to Save Darfur, two recently released studies by well-respected organizations have raised concerns that weapons from China are being used against the people of Darfur, and that China is not doing anything to prevent such usage. Also, in the spring of 2007, China indicated its desire to further its military relationship with Sudan “in every sphere.”

China is scheduled to host the Summer Olympics this year, and many people feel this is inappropriate considering China’s roll in the Sudan: “activists have attempted to shame China by saying its inaction makes it unworthy to be an Olympics host” [7]. China has consistently held that the Olympics are a sporting event and should not be linked to politics. As we know, however, boycotting the Olympics has been a tactic used throughout history to make a political statement. Many still remember the US-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow which was part of a coalition to protest against the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Just this past week, director and producer Steven Spielberg resigned his non-paying artistic director advisory role for the 2008 Summer Olympics Games in Beijing because he has become disenchanted with China's lack of effort to use its influence in Sudan to end violence in the Darfur region. Spielberg's resignation shines one more light on China's role in Sudan and its efforts to prevent international criticism of its support for the Sudanese government from tarnishing the Summer Games [8].

The IIJD supports the efforts of people such as Steven Spielberg who used their influence to help stop the crisis in Sudan. His actions have already sparked a reaction from others against the crisis. One day after Spielberg’s withdrawal from the Olympics, Nobel Peace Prize winners and international athletes wrote a letter slamming China's President Hu Jintao for not taking action to prevent atrocities in Darfur [9]. The letter was signed by Nobel Peace laureates Bishop Carlos Belo, Shirin Ebadi, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Rigoberta Menchu, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, Betty Williams and Jody Williams. Perhaps an embarrassment such as this is just what the Chinese government needs to motivate them to stop assisting the Sudanese government.

[1] BBC News, ‘How Many have Died in Africa’, Russell Smith

[2] Ibid.

[3] AP, ‘China: Pressure Would Harm Darfur Crisis, Anita Chang

[4] Telegraph, UK, ‘Oil Hungry China Takes Sudan Under its Wing’, David Blair

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] AP, ‘China: Pressure Would Harm Darfur Crisis, Anita Chang

[8] Ibid.