Article August 2, 2004 Issue

'This dear and desperate Darfur'

An international educator prays for the people of Sudan.

By Kim Shippey

IN RECENT WEEKS the international news media have trained their eyes on the evidence of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Many thousands of civilians have been killed by Sudanese government troops and by Arab militias called the Janjaweed. More than a million people have been driven from their homes and left starving in camps and settlements.

For insight into some of the issues involved, I turned to Karim Ajania, an educator and former international investment banker. He told me that he had recently asked himself: "What would I do if I were alone in a room with one of the Janjaweed rebels who had committed atrocities in Darfur? Would I embrace him or hit him?"

I pressed Karim for his answer.

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'This dear and desperate Darfur'

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