“They are truly evil, evil people.”
That from U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle who spent 18 months in Sudan’s Darfur region as a ceasefire observer with the African Union.
He was referring to the Janjaweed, militias funded by the government in Khartoum who regularly rape and pillage not only villages but also refugee camps.
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Steidle took hundreds of photos showing the genocide happening there where as many as 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have been displaced.
He also became an activist, talking to anyone who would listen about the atrocities perpetrated in Darfur.
Steidle’s efforts have not been fruitless: in March 2009 the International Criminal Court indicted Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This documentary shows Steidle on the ground in Darfur armed with a camera. The camera also lingers on many refugees who tell their stories about being uprooted and losing many family members to attacks by the Janjaweed.
“The Devil Came on Horseback” also shows how Steidle changed because of what he saw in Darfur. The audience can’t help but empathize with him because he is an American citizen who has to come to terms with the evil he sees every day in a foreign land.
While there is scant background information about the root causes of the genocide in Darfur, this film explores the human cost involved and does that well.
Viewer beware: there are many graphic photos showing horrific things done to those in Darfur.
“The Devil Came on Horseback” is available on DVD.
Murphy can be reached at [email protected]
