Sufferings don't end just because we stop talking about them

Neither sufferings nor conflicts end just because we stop talking about them. There is a need for us to constantly remind ourselves that more can be done for many communities out there and here are some of such examples.

Rohingya refugee crisis

A crisis born out of intolerance for ethnic diversity - the Rohingya crisis is not a new crisis but it gained greater notoriety following a large influx of refugees into Bangladesh from Myanmar in recent years. Rohingyas, who identify as Muslims, are constantly persecuted by the majority Buddhist Myanmar government. Seen as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh (which they are clearly not), most if not all from this indigenous group are stateless as neither Bangladesh nor Myanmar recognise them as their citizens.

As of April 2019, about 910 000 Rohingyas have fled to Cox’s Bazaar, southern Bangladesh. However, the conditions there are not great either as refugee camps are over-populated and many are lacking basic amenities. Many more are still living in limbo in Myanmar, facing continuous violence and uncertainty as they find means to flee.

South Sudan civil war

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 following the second Sudanese civil war which ended in 2005. However, the jubilation could not last as not long after independence, the newly formed country descended into chaos and soon, another civil war ensued. This was a result of the dissolution of the political alliance between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and former Vice President Riek Machar. Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, an ethnic Nuer, became leaders of the country following its independence, representing the 2 largest ethnic groups in South Sudan. However, relations quickly broke and by late 2013, the country had resumed fighting again. Fortunately, in 2018, both factions signed a peace agreement which saw a stop to the violence but that does not mean an end to the humanitarian crisis.

Right now, according to CARE, 9000 people are losing access to food every day and more than 7 million people require some form of humanitarian assistance. At the same time, more than 4 million people are displaced inside and outside of South Sudan. Even with aid coming from all around the world, people are still suffering as many have lost access to arable land or even any forms of basic amenities. Children and women suffer the most with many being sold into sexual slavery or face abuses and other forms of sufferings.

Sudan protests

After the fall of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, the military took over the government and formed the seven-member Transitional Military Council led by Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan. While there was euphoria initially after the end of Bashir’s 3 decades rule over the nation, it ended quickly as the military’s rule soon turned violent.

As a result, many have come out to protest against the military government, demanding for a return to a democratic government, led by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) formed by local doctors, health workers and lawyers. However, they were instead met with violence from the Rapid Support Forces also known as the Janjaweed (led by the country's second-in-command, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as Hemedti) known to have committed countless atrocities against ethnic minorities during Bashir’s rule. More than 100 have died during these protests.

Venezuela crisis

Venezuela’s crisis is not something new or unfamiliar. The roots of this economic and political crisis can be traced back to President Hugo Chávez’s rule and were exacerbated by the mishandling of the situation by his successor, Nicolas Máduro. However, the latter worsened the situation by creating a political crisis, tightening his grip over power by forming the Constituent Assembly to take on the role as the new National Assembly after the latter had its powers removed by the Supreme Court which was and still is controlled by Máduro.

As a result of the economic and political crisis, hyperinflation ensued and the rates went as high as over 2.5 million percent (though it had dropped below 1 million percent in June 2019). This rendered the Venezuelan Bolívar useless as at one point, a cup of coffee cost a million Bolívar. Many have lost access to basic amenities such as food and healthcare and with US economic sanctions against Venezuela, its economic situation remains a wreckage. Hence, right now, more than 4 million Venezuelans have fled the country with the latest news, sadly, is that a boat heading to the island of Curaçao carrying 32 migrants had sunk and all 32 of them are currently (as of 12 June) missing. The desperation of finding a better life have driven locals to find all sorts of methods to leave their once-prosperous nation.

Conclusion

There are a lot more examples to go through be it in Yemen, Syria or Central African Republic. However, we do not need a laundry list to illustrate the point: Sufferings don't end just because we stop talking about them.

This purpose of this article is not to make people feel bad about themselves but rather for those fortunate ones to realise where we stand and to of course encourage people to render any forms of assistance to those who need help. Many times, when conflicts are no longer on breaking news, we may forget about the existence of the conflicts and the sufferings. Other times, us as readers may lose our interest in following certain news and slowly, we forget about what is important to us, global citizens, that is to care for those who need help, even if they are outside of our borders. While it is difficult (and possibly depressing) for us to constantly follow up on these issues, the simplest thing we can do is to not forget and keep the conversation going because perhaps we may inadvertently create a spark for a solution to bring hope to those in need of it.

(Cover photos by Randy Fath, Pawel Janiak & Hermes Rivera respectively)

By Eugene Goh