The unpredictable roller coaster of a ride that is oil prices in the U.S. has suffiently captivated and maintained constant public attention. With everything from grocery stores to banks using price increases to their advantage in advertising, the public seems to be convinced that they are experiencing nearly intolerable economic times. When oil consumer's lives seem to be ruled so much by the pricey product, imagine the lives of the people from the countries where the oil came from. For most of the U.S. that is dificult, especially considering the small amount of people who are actually aware that their means of getting from point A to point B is the same means of a simultaneously occuring genocide.

Sudan, and specifcally the region Darfur have been subjected to genocide since 2003. This has happened at the hands of the Janjaweed, a deadly militia. The Janjaweed are working with Sudan's own government to elimnate the "Arab" as opposed to Fur ethnic group. The word Arab is used loosely, and applies to anyone who is not Fur. The Janjaweed consists of Fur males ages 20 to 60. While the Sudanese government denies any connection to the Janjaweed, the militia and military have the same weapons and the only difference in the uniforms in the Janjaweed's breastpocket. These racial tensions have created a situation where those of the “Arab” race are forced to flee and attempt to make it to Congo, and even there the Janjaweed have been able to target them. Those who remain in Darfur live in cramped little camp-like places. Woman are sent outside the camp to get water because the men are killed by the Janjaweed, woman are merely raped mercilessly. Still, even once you add in the starving children and diseased and dying, this genocide has managed to stay out of the media for the most part.

The worst part of this particular genocide is that there are two countries who have the ability to easily interfere, and all with a threat. Not a threat of war, a business threat. Should Russia and China, Sudan's two biggest oil customers, threaten to put there business elswhere, the government would be in a potentially devastating position. If Russia and China put their money elsewhere, not only would Sudan lose its main souce of income, but the United Nations and most other countries in general would officially acknowledge their awareness and disaproval of what is going on. This in itself would prevent Sudan from gaining new business. Russia and China would quickly have their source of oil back, considering Sudan is not economically sound enough to last long without caving. Naturally both countries are concerned about the possibility of a sudden oil shortage, but neither Russia nor China rely solely on Sudan for oil. The alternatives to an oil strike would be to wage war or do nothing. Since Russia and China both have influence in the U.N, the U.N. itself would not fund a war. This leaves individual countries to act, and during times of economic hardship this is not feasible. If Russia and China were to withdraw the financial relationship with Sudan,not only would the oil trade be stable again, or as stable as presently possible, but a genocide would be put to rest. The Janjaweed will no doubt take a while to subdue, but at about 140 in numbers, that should be relatively easy to achieve.

While oil may control the most peoples lives, the Sudanese government and Janjaweed is controlling the lives of those in Darfur. They have gotten away with an attempt to destroy a race for 6 years because each country is wrapped up in their own turmoil and ignorance, and because in confronting the genocide Russia and China may risk consequences in the form of oil. If a car ride is worth a genocide then do nothing, if the lives of hundreds of thousands people lost does have some value, at the very least be aware.