Genocide in Darfur
The Darfur Genocide described as
nothing less than absolute devastation, characterized by mass killings, torture,
rape, theft and the destruction of villages began in 2003 and has yet to be put
to a complete end. The conflict has complex roots intertwined in
politics, ethnic disputes and resource struggles among other issues.
As no stranger to conflict and war, the southern part
of Sudan had been plagued with civil war ever since 1956 when Sudan
received its independence from the United Kingdom. While only
taking a break in the 1970s the animist and Christian black southerners and the
Arab-influenced government continued to wage war until the early 2000s when
peace negotiations finally took root. By June 2004 it appeared as if a
peace agreement might be reached and the endless fighting in Sudan would finally
come to an end.
Unfortunately, these hopes would only be wishful thinking. The peace talks failed to include the western region of Sudan, Darfur, leaving the region “underdeveloped and marginalized at the federal level, lacking infrastructure and development assistance” while the south gained political power. Darfur is a diverse region consisting of several dozen tribes and roughly six million people, but it is split between two main groups:“those who claim black “African” descent and primarily practice sedentary agriculture and those who claim “Arab” descent and are mostly semi-nomadic livestock herders.” While the division between the two groups was not exactly clear, it still exists and grew stronger with the current drought and conflicts over resources. In 2003, two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement made their voices and opinions known in Darfur. Angered by the capital of Sudan, Khartoum’s, marginalization of Darfur and its failure to protect sedentary people from attacks by nomads, the two rebel groups took up arms against the Sudanese government.
nothing less than absolute devastation, characterized by mass killings, torture,
rape, theft and the destruction of villages began in 2003 and has yet to be put
to a complete end. The conflict has complex roots intertwined in
politics, ethnic disputes and resource struggles among other issues.
As no stranger to conflict and war, the southern part
of Sudan had been plagued with civil war ever since 1956 when Sudan
received its independence from the United Kingdom. While only
taking a break in the 1970s the animist and Christian black southerners and the
Arab-influenced government continued to wage war until the early 2000s when
peace negotiations finally took root. By June 2004 it appeared as if a
peace agreement might be reached and the endless fighting in Sudan would finally
come to an end.
Unfortunately, these hopes would only be wishful thinking. The peace talks failed to include the western region of Sudan, Darfur, leaving the region “underdeveloped and marginalized at the federal level, lacking infrastructure and development assistance” while the south gained political power. Darfur is a diverse region consisting of several dozen tribes and roughly six million people, but it is split between two main groups:“those who claim black “African” descent and primarily practice sedentary agriculture and those who claim “Arab” descent and are mostly semi-nomadic livestock herders.” While the division between the two groups was not exactly clear, it still exists and grew stronger with the current drought and conflicts over resources. In 2003, two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement made their voices and opinions known in Darfur. Angered by the capital of Sudan, Khartoum’s, marginalization of Darfur and its failure to protect sedentary people from attacks by nomads, the two rebel groups took up arms against the Sudanese government.
On February 2003 rebels attacked a Sudanese Air Force Base at El Fasher, North Darfur. “Khartoum responded to the rebel
uprising in the same way in which they had responded to the fight in the south: by arming irregular militia forces and directing them to eradicate the rebellion.” These irregular militia forces consisted of local Arab tribes including convicted felons trained, armed and enrolled in special military formation with the mission to put an end to the rebellions and to inspire fear. These militias were termed the janjaweed or “evil men on horseback”. What followed was not a suppression of the rebellions, but extreme violence targeting black African civilians. No one was safe. The main targets of the janjaweed were men, but in no means were women, children or the elderly safe. Children were murdered and women were raped. |
Janjaweed |
The armed forces and the militia often attacked together even though they mainly attacked villages where the rebels did not have an armed presence. This was seen as a strategy to punish anyone in support of the rebel cause and eliminate any future opposition.
Commonly government soldiers would drop bombs on a village and the militia would follow the attack destroying anyone and anything left behind. Those left in a village were murdered or forced to flee (Mulaj 29). Remaining in Sudan was not an option. Dead bodies were dumped into wells in an effort to contaminate water supplies and entire villages were burned to the ground,
completely destroying over 400 villages within the region. It was in 2004 in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, when the United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell declared the crisis in Darfur to be “genocide.” The genocide in Darfur has displaced over 2,500,000 people and claimed 400,000 lives. And the fighting continues today with
failed peace talks to being largely to blame.
Commonly government soldiers would drop bombs on a village and the militia would follow the attack destroying anyone and anything left behind. Those left in a village were murdered or forced to flee (Mulaj 29). Remaining in Sudan was not an option. Dead bodies were dumped into wells in an effort to contaminate water supplies and entire villages were burned to the ground,
completely destroying over 400 villages within the region. It was in 2004 in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, when the United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell declared the crisis in Darfur to be “genocide.” The genocide in Darfur has displaced over 2,500,000 people and claimed 400,000 lives. And the fighting continues today with
failed peace talks to being largely to blame.
The most successful peace talks took place between 2005 and 2006 in Abuja, leading to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). In 2005 the Sudan government and southern rebels signed a peace deal agreeing
to a permanent ceasefire and accords on wealth and power sharing. Furthermore, it was said that in June 2005, the Sudan government and exile opposition grouping, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), signed a reconciliation deal allowing NDA into power-sharing administration. While these actions may appear to be major stepping stones in attempts to end the continuous genocide, they were largely unsuccessful. According to reports from Doctors Without Borders, violence and starvation remained daily hardships though out 2005. A report issued in March 2005 also noted that an extraordinary number of rape cases had been reported within the year. It should be noted that under these circumstance a large percentage of cases go unreported. |
The UN has attempted to intervene throughout the years, but with little support from the Sudan President Omar Bashir, and the
lack of proper equipment and resources it has made progress towards peace difficult. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on the charges of crimes against humanity in 2009 and genocide in 2010. The Sudan government has yet to turn him over to the court, a decision which has only increased the unrest and protests in the region (Darfur Genocide). In December 2009 the leaders of the north and south came to an agreement for terms of referendum on southern independence by 2011. However, as seen in previous negotiations, the two sides were unable to agree on specifics and clashes continued even after July 2011 when South Sudan gained independence. Talks and negotiations have continued, but as before they have remained unsuccessful. As of this April 2012, fighting still continued at the border over the occupation of an oil field and many are worried that border issues will only cause a repeat of past situations (Sudan Profile). Amnesty International reported in April 2012 “this ongoing flow of new arms to Darfur has sustained a brutal nine-year conflict which shows little sign of resolution." Only time will tell.
lack of proper equipment and resources it has made progress towards peace difficult. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on the charges of crimes against humanity in 2009 and genocide in 2010. The Sudan government has yet to turn him over to the court, a decision which has only increased the unrest and protests in the region (Darfur Genocide). In December 2009 the leaders of the north and south came to an agreement for terms of referendum on southern independence by 2011. However, as seen in previous negotiations, the two sides were unable to agree on specifics and clashes continued even after July 2011 when South Sudan gained independence. Talks and negotiations have continued, but as before they have remained unsuccessful. As of this April 2012, fighting still continued at the border over the occupation of an oil field and many are worried that border issues will only cause a repeat of past situations (Sudan Profile). Amnesty International reported in April 2012 “this ongoing flow of new arms to Darfur has sustained a brutal nine-year conflict which shows little sign of resolution." Only time will tell.