"The Devil Came on Horseback"

I don't know why I'm still surprised by the depths of evil within man. I have heard of Darfur, but have known very little of what was taking place there a few years ago. After watching this documentary, I couldn't even google to find out what is still going on. But regardless of what is happening now, it is a fact that while hundreds of thousands of black Africans were being slaughtered by Arab Africans, once again the international community sat back and did nothing.

One person in this documentary even said, (I'm paraphrasing) 'It's almost like fate gave us another chance after Rwanda to get it right, but we didn't.' The young man that this documentary follows was part of a group sent to Sudan to monitor a cease fire agreement. He was given the position armed only with a camera.

He had to stand by and watch as the Janjaweed (translated Devil on Horseback) raped, killed, looted and burned to the ground village after village. But his pictures did help anger enough people that a grassroots campaign to stop the genocide began. The documentary ends without a resolution to the conflict and what I've been able to google as a follow up is sketchy at best. I did find this blog today Darfur Daily News but haven't had a chance to get very deep into it yet to get answers.

The one thing that amazes me about this situation, Rwanda and another article I recently read about someone working with people terrorized by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) KNOWN for "unleashing unspeakable horrors on innocent men, women, and children in central Africa." [Christianity Today, August 2011] is that the reason the United States and the west usually give for not getting involved is because "it's not in our best interest". Why is that?

Is it because they don't sit on top of a huge pile of oil? Or is it because even after all this time, we still see Africans as sub-human?

As Christians isn't it in our best interest to love, serve and sacrificially give so that just one may come to know the love of Jesus? Probably the most profound moment in this documentary for me was when a man in a refugee camp in neighboring Chad says, (paraphrasing again) 'I am so thankful for America. If it weren't for America, we would not survive. They give us food, medicine and workers. I am a Muslim and not ONE single Arab has come to ask if I need anything. Not one. Where are the Muslims?'

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."--Jesus (Matthew 9:37) Just by the deeply ingrained Judeo-Christian principles of helping the downtrodden, our God has been able to use the United States to open up a Muslim people to His work in their lives.

Lord, I pray the killing would cease and those responsible would be brought to justice. I also pray that You would raise up mighty men and women of faith that will leave their lives behind and serve the refugees of Darfur. Because You open doors through service, people that would otherwise never have heard the name of Jesus or of His love for them, will come to know You! Amen!


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