Posted on July 12, 2008 - by Frank

Darfur - A Summary

The crisis in Darfur is a problem many have heard of but have failed to grasp. This article is designed to be a quick summary rather than an exhaustive explanation. It is designed to give people a quick understanding of the crisis.

To see a visual/video summary, go to the end of the post.

To understand the history that feeds into the situation and to see the most organised current humanitarian efforts see the Wikipedia article on the situation and visit www.savedarfur.org, an alliance of over 100 faith based, humanitarian and human rights organisations.

The following map provides a visual reference for the region of Sudan.

The lighter tan colour is Sudan and the green is the region of Darfur.

Prior to British invasion, Darfur was an independent region, but after the invasion of 1916, it was incorporated as a part of Sudan. Within Sudan at the time, most resources were directed towards Khartoum and Blue Nile Province, leaving much of the rest of the country under resourced and poorly developed, including the western Darfur region. This marginalisation continued once independence was established in 1956.

Civil war between the north and south of Sudan only further exacerbated the problem. When peace was reached between the two groups, Darfur was neglected in the peace arrangements and was not given access to the resources everyone else was. Lack of rain and the subsequent reduction in viable pasture has increased the need of those in the Darfur region to access resources available in other parts of Sudan.

Two rebel armies were established to fight for the rights of those in the Darfur region and they accused the Arab (not strictly Arab, but a mixture of Arab mixed with a local people) Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arabs (namely, Africans who are concentrated in the Darfur region). Much politics had lead to this point.

The rebel armies attacked an airfield and the government responded with aerial bombings of villages in the Darfur region and have since funded and supplied a militia group, the Janjaweed (which means ‘devil on horseback’) to carry out systematic attacks and destruction on Darfur villages. The estimated death toll so far numbers somewhere around 400,000, with over 2,000,000 displaced from their homes and the atrocities are immense.

The Sudanese government denies any involvement with the Janjaweed, but the Janjaweed openly speak of the governments involvement and there is documented, photographic evidence of the Sudanese government engaging in aerial bombardment of villages prior to Janjaweed attacks and fighting alongside Janjaweed as they systematically attack villages, killing civilians (men, women and children) and burning housing. The rebel groups established to fight for the people of Darfur are small and ineffectual against these attacks.

The result, aside from the atrocities, has been an influx of refugees into the neighbouring nation of Chad. Large refugee camps have been set up on the border of Chad and are supplied with provisions by varying aid agencies. The Janjaweed consistently cross the border and attack women outside of the camps, using rape as a form of warfare.

The Sudanese government’s involvement in the genocide of Darfur has meant that their co-operation with international agencies trying to place forces in Darfur to protect civilians, has been less than helpful.

Both the African Union and United Nations have small amounts of forces in the area, but their ability to bolster and equip these forces is minimal due to the restrictions of the government, so the ethnic cleansing of the area and the harassment of refugees in Chad by the Janjaweed continues.

To find out more and become part of the solution to this crisis, visit www.savedarfur.org

Here is a summary from someone who has been engaged in humanitarian efforts in the area. It is very good, but be warned, there are some graphic images: