A Brief History of the Conflict in Darfur

Darfur, the westernmost province of Sudan, had seen escalating low-level violence for several decades. Substantial organized military activity and resulting humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur began in early 2003. In April 2003 rebels launched coordinated attacks against military targets in the regional capital of El Fasher. Two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) issued public statements that their rebellion was political, against the government in Khartoum.

The Sudanese government responded using counterinsurgency tactics that it had used in the civil war in the south. Indiscriminate aerial bombing became common. The government organized and coordinated attacks by an irregular militia that came to be known as the janjaweed. Although drawn from many different ethnic groups, the leadership and core fighters come from groups that identify themselves as Arab. The Sudanese Armed forces (the government army of the Sudan) and the janjaweed deliberately targeted civilian populations during intense military activity in 2003 and early 2004. Displaced persons have told consistent stories of dawn raids with indiscriminate attacks on civilians, rapes, and burning of villages. Aerial and satellite imagery confirmed extensive destruction and abandonment of villages. Rebel groups have also committed human rights violations.

The warring parties in Darfur have failed to reach a peace agreement after seven rounds of peace talks held in Abuja, Nigeria under the auspices of the African Union. The displaced civilian population faces continued military and paramilitary violence from the janjaweed and Sudanese Armed Forces. The Sudanese Armed Forces have not restored security for civilians in the region. According to reports by the World Food Program, the United Nations and the Coalition for International Justice, 3.5 million people are now hungry, 2.5 million have been displaced due to violence, and 400,000 people have died in Darfur thus far.

WE MUST ACT NOW BEFORE MILLIONS OF LIVES ARE LOST!

Advocate for Darfur