| History |
Cincinnati for Darfur |
History:
The current humanitarian crisis in Darfur is taking place in the African country of Sudan. Sudan is the
largest country in Africa, geographically speaking, and is located in the eastern part of Africa on the edge of
the Sahara. Darfur is in the western portion of Sudan..
The conflict in Darfur was initiated in 2003, when the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) group and
Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) rebelled against the current government and president, Omar al-
Bashir. The rebel groups were primarily made up of black African Muslims, who earned a living mostly from
farming. Their reasons for rebellion were, as the background page of savedarfur.org states, “decades of
neglect, drought, oppression, and small-scale conflicts.” The environment played a partial role in the birth of
this struggle, due to desertification (or the spread of the Sahara), which has made arable land and water
more scarce. Nomadic tribes in the Darfur region have been forced to move their livestock into the region
occupied by primarily agrarian communities; this is one root of the conflict.
The Sudanese government's response has been extremely harsh and underhanded -- and may be
motivated by race, because the Darfuris are African -- while Sudanese leadership is Arab. The Sudanese
government have acted against rebels and non-rebels alike with military force, and through an independent
group of local militias that have come to be called the Janjaweed (“devils on horseback”). The Sudanese
government funds and supplies the Janjaweed, though they publicly deny that truth. The Janjaweed use the
brutal tactics of destroying entire villages by murdering, raping and torturing all innocent villagers. They
wipe out food and water supplies and have forced hundreds of thousands of Darfuris into refugee camps in
the bordering countries. The Sudanese government has also conducted bombing and strafing runs on the
civilian villages using white-painted aircraft. This tactic is utterly immoral, since humanitarian and UN
aircraft are painted the same color. Darfuris can never be sure if an aircraft overhead is bringing aid, or
simply more death.
According to one statistic from Wikipedia, “The United Nations (UN) estimates that the conflict has left as
many as 450,000 dead from violence and disease.” Yet the UN has yet to declare this crisis what it really is:
pure genocide. The United States has openly declared it just that. The UN has made attempts to help those
being displaced, but efforts have been feeble at best. Attempts to pass resolutions to put a substantial UN
peacekeeping force in Darfur, such as UN Security Council Resolution 1706, have been rejected by Sudan.
Member countries of the UN have yet to follow through and put their peacekeepers in the area. The UN did
help facilitate a peace agreement (Darfur Peace Agreement) between the one rebel group, SLM, and the
Sudanese government, but the agreement fell apart. International support and pressure on the government
of Sudan has been weak and ineffective.
Though some members of the international community have been making honest attempts to improve
the conditions in Darfur, two countries in particular have been accused of subverting these sanctions and
agreements. It has been claimed by a report issued by Amnesty International that both Russia and China
have been supplying arms and other weapons to the Sudanese military, which violates a UN embargo
(Wikipedia). China has direct oil interests in Sudan.
The conflict is still ongoing. Women are still being raped, homes are still being burned, and families are
still being torn apart. Citizens from all around the world need to take action if this conflict is ever going to
be resolved. Together, we can stop genocide.
(This brief background was put together from the “Darfur Conflict” page on Wikipedia and background page on savedarfur.org. For a more in-depth history, check
out the links to these websites at the bottom of this page in the works cited section)
Terms:
Darfur- the western region of Sudan where the current tribal conflict and genocide has taken place.
Darfur Peace Agreement- Failed attempt at peace between one rebel group and the Sudanese government.
Fur- non-Arab, agricultural ethnic group. Recruited for the SLM and JEM.
Genocide- the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.
IDP- internally displaced person, or essentially a refugee.
Janjaweed- this militia group is mostly recruited from the Arab Baggara tribes of nomadic camel herders.
They are sided with the Sudanese military in this conflict and have been funded by the Sudanese
government itself for exterminating certain ethnic groups.
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)- a group similar to the Sudan Liberation Movement in their opposition
to the Janjaweed and the atrocities that have been committed. Its leader is Khalil Ibrahim.
Massaleit – see Fur
Omar al-Bashir- the current president of Sudan.
Sudan Liberation Movement(SLM)- an amalgamation of different rebel groups who fight against the
Sudanese military and Janjaweed militia.
Sudan- The largest country by geographical area located in the eastern part of Africa.
UN Security Council Resolution 1706- a mandate passed in August 2006 to send a peacekeeping force of
around 20,000 troops to Darfur.
Zaghawa-see Fur
Timeline:
*February- The starting point of the conflict. Credit for the attack on the headquarters in the Jebel
Marra district is taken by the Darfur Liberation Front.
*April- A force consisting of JEM and SLM rebels carries out a very successful raid against a military
garrison in al-Fashir.
*Mid-2003- The rebels success continued on the battlefield, and won 34 of 38 skirmishes (Wikipedia).
This forced the military to reevaluate their tactics and training.
*The military armed the Janjaweed and used them to supplement their military force in the Darfur
Region.
*The superior Janjaweed had turned the tables, and in the spring of 2004 they had created a major
humanitarian crisis. Many refugees were chased into the the bordering country of Chad.
*April- the fighting spilled over into Chad as the Janjaweed pursued the fleeing villagers. Chad was
able to facilitate a ceasefire between the SLM/JEM groups and the Sudanese forces. The agreement was
unsuccessful, since a group of rebels within the JEM splintered from it and continued to participate in
attacks against the government.
*“August- UN observers report continued collaboration between the Sudanese government and the
janjaweed. The British newspaper the Daily Telegraph reports that SLA rebels have massacred
numerous villagers they suspect of collaborating with the Sudanese government. Four hundred African
Union troops are sent to Dafur to monitor compliance with the April cease-fire.” [5.]
* “September-U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell calls violence in Darfur ‘genocide.’” [5]
* “November-The UN Security Council meets in Kenya to persuade southern rebels and the Sudanese
government to end their conflict; it also calls on all parties to end the violence in Darfur.” [5]
*July- Sudan’s vice president John Garang dies in a helicopter crash and talks between rebels continue
to progress slowly.
*December- Sudan is blamed for an attack on rebel in a town in Chad, increasing tension between the
two countries.
*May- Minni Minnawi, leader of a faction of the SLM, signs an agreement with the government of
Sudan. This agreement is rejected by other rebel factions though.
*July- August- Fighting in the area “[threatens] to shut down the world’s largest aid operation”
(Wikipedia).
*September- The United Nations Security council passes Resolution 1706, which calls for a large
peacekeeping force to be deployed in Darfur, but fails to implement this plan. The African union
mission is still undermanned and underfunded in helping the refugees.
*October- December- The situation continues to deteriorate. Civilians continue to die and struggles
between tribes and factions continue.
*January-April- Another cease-fire agreement is reached, but reports of violence continued. President
Bush threatens the government of Sudan with economic sanctions if the situation does not improve.
*May- Omar al-Bashir and Idriss Deby, president of Chad, sign a peace agreement to lessen the tension
between their countries.
*July- An underground lake was reported by BBC to have been found in the region, which could help
with the scarcity of water. Fights between two other tribes in Darfur escalate.
*August- A conference for the many different factions of rebels is held in Arusha, Tanzinia. This meant
as a way for the rebel groups to unite by agreeing upon joint objectives. An agreement was finally
reached.
*October 2007- Peace talks are held in Libya, but not all groups are present.
Works Cited
1. "genocide." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Nov. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genocide>.
2. "Darfur conflict." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Nov 2007, 23:11 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 26 Nov 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Darfur_conflict&oldid=173771000>.
3. "Sudan." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Nov 2007, 14:19 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 26 Nov 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Sudan&oldid=173681786>.
4. “The Genocide in Darfur-Briefing Paper” 25 Nov. 2007. <http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/background>.
5. World Conflicts Today. Created by CultureGrams. March 2005. ProQuest CSA. 12 February 2007. http://worldconflictstoday.com
The current humanitarian crisis in Darfur is taking place in the African country of Sudan. Sudan is the
largest country in Africa, geographically speaking, and is located in the eastern part of Africa on the edge of
the Sahara. Darfur is in the western portion of Sudan..
The conflict in Darfur was initiated in 2003, when the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) group and
Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) rebelled against the current government and president, Omar al-
Bashir. The rebel groups were primarily made up of black African Muslims, who earned a living mostly from
farming. Their reasons for rebellion were, as the background page of savedarfur.org states, “decades of
neglect, drought, oppression, and small-scale conflicts.” The environment played a partial role in the birth of
this struggle, due to desertification (or the spread of the Sahara), which has made arable land and water
more scarce. Nomadic tribes in the Darfur region have been forced to move their livestock into the region
occupied by primarily agrarian communities; this is one root of the conflict.
The Sudanese government's response has been extremely harsh and underhanded -- and may be
motivated by race, because the Darfuris are African -- while Sudanese leadership is Arab. The Sudanese
government have acted against rebels and non-rebels alike with military force, and through an independent
group of local militias that have come to be called the Janjaweed (“devils on horseback”). The Sudanese
government funds and supplies the Janjaweed, though they publicly deny that truth. The Janjaweed use the
brutal tactics of destroying entire villages by murdering, raping and torturing all innocent villagers. They
wipe out food and water supplies and have forced hundreds of thousands of Darfuris into refugee camps in
the bordering countries. The Sudanese government has also conducted bombing and strafing runs on the
civilian villages using white-painted aircraft. This tactic is utterly immoral, since humanitarian and UN
aircraft are painted the same color. Darfuris can never be sure if an aircraft overhead is bringing aid, or
simply more death.
According to one statistic from Wikipedia, “The United Nations (UN) estimates that the conflict has left as
many as 450,000 dead from violence and disease.” Yet the UN has yet to declare this crisis what it really is:
pure genocide. The United States has openly declared it just that. The UN has made attempts to help those
being displaced, but efforts have been feeble at best. Attempts to pass resolutions to put a substantial UN
peacekeeping force in Darfur, such as UN Security Council Resolution 1706, have been rejected by Sudan.
Member countries of the UN have yet to follow through and put their peacekeepers in the area. The UN did
help facilitate a peace agreement (Darfur Peace Agreement) between the one rebel group, SLM, and the
Sudanese government, but the agreement fell apart. International support and pressure on the government
of Sudan has been weak and ineffective.
Though some members of the international community have been making honest attempts to improve
the conditions in Darfur, two countries in particular have been accused of subverting these sanctions and
agreements. It has been claimed by a report issued by Amnesty International that both Russia and China
have been supplying arms and other weapons to the Sudanese military, which violates a UN embargo
(Wikipedia). China has direct oil interests in Sudan.
The conflict is still ongoing. Women are still being raped, homes are still being burned, and families are
still being torn apart. Citizens from all around the world need to take action if this conflict is ever going to
be resolved. Together, we can stop genocide.
(This brief background was put together from the “Darfur Conflict” page on Wikipedia and background page on savedarfur.org. For a more in-depth history, check
out the links to these websites at the bottom of this page in the works cited section)
Terms:
Darfur- the western region of Sudan where the current tribal conflict and genocide has taken place.
Darfur Peace Agreement- Failed attempt at peace between one rebel group and the Sudanese government.
Fur- non-Arab, agricultural ethnic group. Recruited for the SLM and JEM.
Genocide- the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.
IDP- internally displaced person, or essentially a refugee.
Janjaweed- this militia group is mostly recruited from the Arab Baggara tribes of nomadic camel herders.
They are sided with the Sudanese military in this conflict and have been funded by the Sudanese
government itself for exterminating certain ethnic groups.
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)- a group similar to the Sudan Liberation Movement in their opposition
to the Janjaweed and the atrocities that have been committed. Its leader is Khalil Ibrahim.
Massaleit – see Fur
Omar al-Bashir- the current president of Sudan.
Sudan Liberation Movement(SLM)- an amalgamation of different rebel groups who fight against the
Sudanese military and Janjaweed militia.
Sudan- The largest country by geographical area located in the eastern part of Africa.
UN Security Council Resolution 1706- a mandate passed in August 2006 to send a peacekeeping force of
around 20,000 troops to Darfur.
Zaghawa-see Fur
Timeline:
*February- The starting point of the conflict. Credit for the attack on the headquarters in the Jebel
Marra district is taken by the Darfur Liberation Front.
*April- A force consisting of JEM and SLM rebels carries out a very successful raid against a military
garrison in al-Fashir.
*Mid-2003- The rebels success continued on the battlefield, and won 34 of 38 skirmishes (Wikipedia).
This forced the military to reevaluate their tactics and training.
*The military armed the Janjaweed and used them to supplement their military force in the Darfur
Region.
*The superior Janjaweed had turned the tables, and in the spring of 2004 they had created a major
humanitarian crisis. Many refugees were chased into the the bordering country of Chad.
*April- the fighting spilled over into Chad as the Janjaweed pursued the fleeing villagers. Chad was
able to facilitate a ceasefire between the SLM/JEM groups and the Sudanese forces. The agreement was
unsuccessful, since a group of rebels within the JEM splintered from it and continued to participate in
attacks against the government.
*“August- UN observers report continued collaboration between the Sudanese government and the
janjaweed. The British newspaper the Daily Telegraph reports that SLA rebels have massacred
numerous villagers they suspect of collaborating with the Sudanese government. Four hundred African
Union troops are sent to Dafur to monitor compliance with the April cease-fire.” [5.]
* “September-U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell calls violence in Darfur ‘genocide.’” [5]
* “November-The UN Security Council meets in Kenya to persuade southern rebels and the Sudanese
government to end their conflict; it also calls on all parties to end the violence in Darfur.” [5]
*July- Sudan’s vice president John Garang dies in a helicopter crash and talks between rebels continue
to progress slowly.
*December- Sudan is blamed for an attack on rebel in a town in Chad, increasing tension between the
two countries.
*May- Minni Minnawi, leader of a faction of the SLM, signs an agreement with the government of
Sudan. This agreement is rejected by other rebel factions though.
*July- August- Fighting in the area “[threatens] to shut down the world’s largest aid operation”
(Wikipedia).
*September- The United Nations Security council passes Resolution 1706, which calls for a large
peacekeeping force to be deployed in Darfur, but fails to implement this plan. The African union
mission is still undermanned and underfunded in helping the refugees.
*October- December- The situation continues to deteriorate. Civilians continue to die and struggles
between tribes and factions continue.
*January-April- Another cease-fire agreement is reached, but reports of violence continued. President
Bush threatens the government of Sudan with economic sanctions if the situation does not improve.
*May- Omar al-Bashir and Idriss Deby, president of Chad, sign a peace agreement to lessen the tension
between their countries.
*July- An underground lake was reported by BBC to have been found in the region, which could help
with the scarcity of water. Fights between two other tribes in Darfur escalate.
*August- A conference for the many different factions of rebels is held in Arusha, Tanzinia. This meant
as a way for the rebel groups to unite by agreeing upon joint objectives. An agreement was finally
reached.
*October 2007- Peace talks are held in Libya, but not all groups are present.
Works Cited
1. "genocide." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Nov. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genocide>.
2. "Darfur conflict." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Nov 2007, 23:11 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 26 Nov 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Darfur_conflict&oldid=173771000>.
3. "Sudan." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Nov 2007, 14:19 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 26 Nov 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Sudan&oldid=173681786>.
4. “The Genocide in Darfur-Briefing Paper” 25 Nov. 2007. <http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/background>.
5. World Conflicts Today. Created by CultureGrams. March 2005. ProQuest CSA. 12 February 2007. http://worldconflictstoday.com
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