Genocide Continues in Darfur

History of the Conflict

Since early 2003, over 400,000 civilians have died and well over 2.5 million have been driven from their homes in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. Over 500 people die each day from violence, malnutrition and disease. The victims are mostly from the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masaalit groups, considered to be “Africans;” the attacks are largely by a government-supported “Arab” militia, known as the “Janjaweed.” The Khartoum-based government fuels ethnic and racial violence by using Janjaweed militias as its proxies against Darfur insurgents. But it is the civilians who are suffering – pitting ethnic groups against each other; restricting international humanitarian access, which threatens mass starvation; bombing civilian targets with aircraft; and murdering and raping civilians. Ongoing estimates suggest that if aid is denied or unavailable, as many as a million people could perish.

On September 30, 2007 hundreds of rebels raided an AU peacekeeping base in Haskanita, killing at least ten soldiers and kidnapping dozens more.  Reports of new attacks against civilians, refugee camps and humanitarian aid workers have led to a decline in aid and an increase in withdrawals.

In addition, the Government of Sudan has instigated a new campaign of violence and destruction in Darfur.  Janjaweed militias have received direct orders from Khartoum to broaden their targets.  Previously, the militias have focused their attacks on non-Arab tribes. 

However, now the Janjaweed are attacking other Arabs, and violence between Arab communities is escalating – mostly over land that Janjaweed leaders have demanded as compensation from Khartoum. 

The United Nations Security Council has authorized a 26,000 strong peacekeeping force for Darfur, in an effort to replace the poorly equipped and overextended 7,000 AU troops now in the area.  However, it is far from certain whether the proposed mission will achieve success.

Final settlement talks between the Darfur’s myriad rebel groups and Khartoum are scheduled to kick off on October 27, 2007 in Libya, but key rebel leaders are refusing to participate.  An end to the conflict does not look promising.