Using NewsHour Extra Feature Stories

Overview: NewsHour Extra feature stories can help students identify and interpret key issues in current events. This activity anticipates one class period, but the follow-up essay might be assigned as homework or in another period.

Warm Up: Use initiating questions to introduce the topic and find out how much your students know.

Main Activity: Have students read NewsHour Extra's feature story and answer the questions on the reading comprehension handout.

Discussion: Use discussion questions to encourage students to think about how the issues outlined in the story affect their lives and express and debate different opinions.

Follow-up: Students can write a 500-word editorial on the topic expressing their views and send it to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org] for possible publication.

Evaluation: Students are graded on their answers to reading comprehension questions and/or their editorial.

Story: World Recognizes Refugee Crisis in Sudan, 7/5/04
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec04/sudan_7-05.html

Initiating Questions:

1. Where is Sudan? What do you know about the country?

2. What is genocide?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. According to the article, who are responsible for the violence and destruction against black African Muslims in Sudan?

The killings of mostly black African Muslims have been blamed on an Arab militia, large loosely organized groups of armed civilians, known as the Janjaweed. Like their victims, the Janjaweed are Muslim, but they have been accused of brutal attacks, including destroying villages, conducting mass rapes and slaughtering men, women and children.

2. Define ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Human rights groups and refugees have accused the militia of "ethnic cleansing" -- that is forcing people of one religion or ethnicity to flee an area -- and genocide -- the systematic and planned killing of an entire national, racial, political or ethnic group.

3. Who has been accused of supporting the Janjaweed? How has this group responded to the charges?

International leaders and aid agencies have accused the Sudanese government, led by President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, of supporting Janjaweed.

"The government of Sudan is responsible for 'ethnic cleansing' and crimes against humanity in Darfur, one of the world's poorest and most inaccessible regions," a Human Rights Watch report said.

Sudan's government denies the charges and has promised to disarm its militias, though reports from aid groups in the region say widespread attacks continue.

4. What have aid groups said about the humanitarian situation in Darfur? How have they responded to the crisis?

The U.S. Agency for International Development has characterized the crisis in Darfur as the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world today." It estimates that at least 300,000 Sudanese refugees could die of starvation, disease or ethnic cleansing if aid does not arrive soon.

So far, few aid agencies have been able to penetrate the region because of continuing violence.

5. What U.S. official recently traveled to Sudan? What did he do?

Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Khartoum on June 29, 2004 to press the government to improve access to the region and disarm the Janjaweed militia. He then traveled to Darfur to see the situation firsthand.

6. Why have U.S. officials been reluctant to call this situation genocide?

So far U.S. officials have been careful not to follow the lead of aid groups and declare the crisis genocide. Under U.N. law, member countries, including the United States, are required to intervene when genocide occurs.

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Research the official definition of genocide. Do you think that the situation in Sudan should be called genocide? Why or why not? How would you advise the U.S. government to act in this situation?

2. According to U.N. law, member countries, including the United States, are required to intervene when genocide occurs. Why might member nations be reluctant to intervene in Sudan? Should U.S. and other governments get involved in all humanitarian crises around the world? If no, how does a country decide when to be involved? What criteria should a nation use?

Write a 300-500 word essay on either of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra (extra@newshour.org). Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.