The Present Situation
in Darfur
About Darfur
-Darfur is located in the west of Sudan.
-The region spans 250,000 square kilometers.
-The economy is based on subsistence and limited industrial farming, and cattle herding.
-All the tribes of Darfur are Muslim and speak Arabic. These tribes include the agricultural Fur, Barni and Masaalit, the sedentary cattle-herdering tribes of the Rezeghat and Zaghawa, and the nomadic herders, the Taaysha and Mahameed.
-Darfur means "land of the Fur."
The Conflict
Who’s involvled?
The Government Armed Forces, various government-backed militia, Janjaweed- a Darfurian term meaning armed bandit on a horse or camel, Darfurian tribes: Fur, Zaghawa, Masaalit, U.N., U.S., African Union.
What’s going on? Why?
For many years the tribes of Darfur have been living peacefully side-by-side. Though there were disputes between farmers and nomadic herders, the land was owned communally and conflicts generally didn't escalate. However, in the 1970s the laws were changed to allow for individual land ownership. This quickly became a bone of contention among tribes as drought and desertification intensified the struggle for resources.
During the 1980s, nomadic Arab tribes calling themselves the Arab Gathering clashed with the African Belt, an alliance of members of the Fur tribe. Despite government intervention and attempts to resolve the dispute over resources, tensions didn't diminish. Since then, the distinction between Arab and African tribes has become a major issue in Darfur. In recent years, the number of attacks on tribes has increased significantly, exacerbated by widely available modern weapons.
February, 2003: Rebel groups of African Muslims lashed out against the government. They said that after competing with the Arabs since the '70s for scarce resources, they would no longer tolerate the inequalities between Africans and the ruling Arab elite. The two main rebel groups, the Sudanese Liberation Movement/ Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) began attacking government targets in the region. Although members were recruited mainly from the Fur, Masaalit, and Zaghawa tribes, both groups claimed that they spoke not only for the people of specific tribes, but for all oppressed Darfurians.
It should be recognized here, that at this time that Sudanese government was directing most of its energy and forces toward dispelling rebels in the south. When the attacks in Darfur began, the authorities did not have the means to retailiate. In response to attacks on rural police posts, police forces were simply withdrawn, leaving those areas in the hands of the rebels. Although the government was able to maintain control of urban centers, much of rural Darfur was controlled by the SLM/ A and the JEM.
Because many Sudanese soldiers come from Darfur, and were reluctant to attack their own people, the government of Bashir responded by recruiting "self-defense militias” to crack down on mainly the tribes from which the rebels came. Responding to the government’s call for help were the Arab tribes of Darfur. Traditionally without a homeland, and concerned with ever decreasing natural resources, many saw this as an opportunity to acquire land. These forces came to be known as the Janjaweed, or devils on horseback/ camels. It is not the case that all Arabs in Darfur are sided with the Janjaweed; in fact, many are opposed to them, and some have gone so far as to join the rebel forces.
Photo courtesy of Human Rights Watch
The government-backed militias are accused of attacking civilians, generally those of African tribes, in Darfur. Victims claim that aerial bombings by the Sudanese air force are followed by the Janjaweed, who ride into villages on horseback, killing men, raping women, and taking for themselves whatever is left behind. Confusion arises when speaking of the Janjaweed in the context of Darfur, however, because the victims consistently identify their attackers as Janjaweed, when they may actually be police forces. The two wear similar uniforms and carry similar weapons. The authorities in Khartoum deny any involvement in the civilian attacks. They claim that the purpose of the militias is to counter insurgency in the region, and that the bombings are targeted at insurgent strongholds. (Recent evidence of a government policy of scorched-earth— the burning to the ground of villages— undermines somewhat the denial of their involvement.) The United Nations and the United States dispute that claim, and demand that if the government is not to blame, it should prosecute those who are. If the government is found to be guilty of ordering attacks on its own civilians, or to have neglected to take action against those responsible, it will be necessary for the international community to intervene.
Initial estimates by the World Health Organization set the death toll at 70,000. Recently, however, the United Nations has revised that figure, putting it at 160,000. Humanitarian organizations claim that closer to 300,000 have died. All of these take into account death as a result starvation, famine and violence. The agreed upon number of those displaced is around two million.
For more
on what the international community can and is doing, click
here.
For more on whether this can be called genocide or not, click
here.