Helping Ease The Suffering In Sudan's Humanitarian Crisis
A C-130 sat unceremoniously on the tarmac of Kigali
International Airport in Sudan Saturday, waiting for the arrival of
Rwandan troops.
For the US airmen who flew in on that C-130, the mission was
clear: transport Rwandan troops and equipment to Al-Fashir, Sudan,
where they will join other African Union troops in mitigating the
humanitarian crisis in the country's Darfur region.
The mission may have been clear and simple for the Americans
involved, but as the airmen quickly realized, the Rwandans did not
view the US Air Force's airlift to Darfur as just another day at
work.
Marching to the music of their own formal military band, the
Rwandan troops carried more than their rifles as they entered the
belly of the C-130. Their faces seemed to carry with them the
concerns of a country that only 10 years ago experienced the horror
of genocide.
In 1994, the Hutu-dominated regime of Rwanda launched a
genocidal attack against the minority Tutsi people lasting 100 days
and resulting in the brutal death of about 800,000 people. Most US
airmen, before arriving in Kigali, were only remotely aware of the
genocide that forever changed the people of Rwanda.
"We provided the folks deploying here an intelligence briefing
before we arrived in an effort to provide them a basic
understanding of what we're doing here," said Air Force Col. Robert
Baine, 322nd Air Expeditionary Group commander. "We should
understand the importance of this mission not only for the US and
the (African Union), but for the Rwandans and the people dying in
Darfur."
As the command-and-control element for airlift operations was
set up in Kigali, Baine sought other ways for the deployed airmen
to learn about the history of the country. The Rwandans arranged a
free tour for the deployed airmen to view the Gisozi Genocide
Memorial.
"It's a very powerful reminder as to why we're here," said
Baine. "The Rwandans understand that people can do pretty inhumane
things, and when the world has the opportunity to step in, it
should."
At the genocide memorial, the sight of bones and skulls
preserved on shelves told haunting stories of Rwanda's darkest
hour.
"That humans could do that to other humans," said Master Sgt.
Kelly Burkhard, 322nd AEG superintendent of communications and
information. "I just can't imagine the horror of the genocide that
happened here."
While the airmen toured the multi-story memorial building full
of Rwanda 's tragic history, on the other side of town Rwandan
soldiers prepared to deploy to Darfur, where United Nations
officials say the worse humanitarian crisis in the world today
continues.
"The Rwandans experienced genocide firsthand," said Burkhard. "I
think they're passionate about stopping the brutality."
Americans are also passionate about saving lives. The US
government has donated more than $300 million dollars in
humanitarian aid for Darfur, of which, $75 million has gone to
support the 200,000 refugees who have fled Darfur into eastern
Chad.
"The US Air Force's contribution to ending this crisis is just
one part of a larger US and international effort," said Baine. "The
world has not forgotten Darfur. Our president, our Congress and our
State Department have been working for the last two years to
resolve this crisis. American troops are not going on the ground.
Our focus is providing airlift for African Union forces so they can
save African lives."
(ANN salutes Air Force Capt. Heather Healy, 322nd Air
Expeditionary Group, Public Affairs)
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