Unit 1 - Darfur Genocide

The conflict in the Darfur Region of Sudan began in February 2003. More than 2.5 million civilians have been
displaced, with at least 400,000 deaths. These days, they reside in refugee camps in Chad or in camps for
internally displaced people in Sudan. Over 3.5 million people, some of whom cannot get to Darfur regions,
depend entirely on international aid for survival. Innocent bystanders are not provided with even the most
basic protection, and women are raped and tortured. Two rebel organizations in Darfur, the Justice and
Equality Movement and the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM), are being fought by the
Sudanese military and the government-backed militia known as the "Janjaweed" in Sudan (JEM). The stated
political aim of the rebels has been to compel the government of Sudan to address underdevelopment and
the political marginalization of the region. In response, the Sudanese government's regular armed forces and
the Janjaweed – primarily composed of fighters of Arab nomadic background – have targeted civilian
populations and ethnic groups from which the rebels primarily draw their support – the Fur, Masalit and
Zaghawa. The government of Sudan and its affiliated Janjaweed militias have primarily targeted civilians in
these atrocities, which have been labelled as genocide by the United States government and other
international organizations. The Darfur Peace Agreement was mediated by the Sudanese government and
one group of Darfur rebels in May 2006. However, the peace agreement has been largely ignored and
ineffective, and the violence has escalated since then. The situation in Darfur is "going from real bad to
catastrophic," according to Jan Egeland, the top humanitarian official for the UN, who made this statement
in August 2006. (1)

Historical Significance:
For the past four years, the remote Sudanese region of
Darfur has been the scene of a bloody conflict that has
claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than two
million people. The UN referred to it as "the world's worst
humanitarian crisis," while the US government called it
"genocide." The carnage and death are frequently
compared to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In a campaign
known as "scorched earth," which lasted from 2003 to
Figure 1 - An analysis of how the perceived
2005, Sudanese forces collaborated with the Janjaweed
dichotomy between Arabs and Africans
to set homes, villages, and crops on fire and continues to fuel violence in the region.
systematically destroy food supplies. Forced relocation
and violent attacks on civilians, which amounted to ethnic
cleansing and genocide, were used by the government
and Janjaweed forces to systematically depopulate
territory inhabited by communities of Fur, Masalit, and Genocide - the intentional
Zaghawa people. Additionally, refugee and displaced destruction of a people—usually
persons settlements have long been targets of further defined as an ethnic, national, racial,
violence by government and Janjaweed forces, including or religious group—in whole or in part.
looting relief supplies, killing, and widespread rape.
Between 2003 and 2005, these measures resulted in the Janjaweed - a Sudanese Arab militia
deaths of 200,000 and the forced displacement of two group that operates in Sudan,
million people. There is ongoing violence, and the UN particularly Darfur, and eastern Chad.
estimates that roughly 4.7 million people are still affected
by the conflict and denied their basic human rights. In Militia - a military force that is raised
addition to these numbers, civilians continue to be under from the civil population to
attack in Sudan's other ongoing conflicts. (3,4,8) supplement a regular army in an
emergency.
Historical Perspective: What would it be like to live in
Darfur under the current ongoing troubles?
Cause and Consequence:
The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when rebels
launched an insurrection to protest what they
contended was the Sudanese government’s disregard
for the western region and its non-Arab population. In
response, the government equipped and supported
Arab militias—which came to be known as Janjaweed—
to fight against the rebels in Darfur. The militias,
however, also terrorized the civilians in the region and
prevented international aid organizations from
delivering much-needed food and medical supplies.
(3) Consequently, more than 4 million people have
Figure 2 - Patterns of mortality rates in Darfur conflict
been forced to leave their homes since the Sudanese
Civil War began, and an estimated 2 million people
have died, though the exact numbers depend on the
source. Atrocities have been charged against both "They were shouting and screaming at us.
sides. An estimated 50,000–80,000 people are You know what they were saying? 'We have
thought to have died since the conflict in Darfur come here to kill you! To finish you all! You
are black slaves! You are worse than dogs.
began, and an additional 1.2-2 million are thought to
The worst was that they were laughing and
have been displaced. In addition, 200,000 refugees yelping with joy as they did those terrible
have escaped to Chad, where they live in refugee things." (8) - A rape victim who was a teacher
camps. All survivors face food and water shortages,
humanitarian efforts are often thwarted, and aid “The news media's silence, particularly
television news, is reprehensible. If we knew
convoys are attacked by rebels and government as much about Darfur as we do about
forces. It is estimated that 2.3 million people in Darfur Michael Jackson, we might be able to stop
need emergency aid, but organizations often cannot these things from continuing.” (7) - Nicholas
reach them because of the region's volatility. Only a Kristof, an American journalist
few people have gone back to their houses. Villages
were destroyed by fire, and Darfur is still torn apart
by conflict. According to UN estimates, over 4.7
million Darfuris depend on humanitarian aid, and 2.7
million Darfuris live in internal refugee camps. (6)
Canada has actively participated in a coordinated
international effort to bring a just and lasting peace to
all of Sudan. The main goal of Canada's involvement
has been to resolve the conflict in Darfur and to
support the full implementation of the 2005
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended
the Second Sudanese Civil War. (2)

Ethical Dimension: Do you think Canada is doing enough Figure 3 - "For internally displaced in South Darfur,
for bringing peace in Sudan? Why? finding water is a new challenge" | UNICEF

Recall…Reflect…Respond

1. What is the Darfur Genocide? How did it start and what are its consequences?

2. How are the people of Darfur being affected by the ongoing violence? Where is the future of
Darfur and its people heading towards?

3. The UN was accused of showing “heartless neglect, in practical terms, of the genocidal campaign
being waged in Darfur.” More than 200,000 people have been killed across Darfur, and at least 2.2
million others forced to flee their homes, since rebels began fighting Government forces and allied
Janjaweed militia in 2003. Is the UN doing enough to deal with the genocide?
 Bibliography
1- “Background on the Genocide in Darfur, Sudan.” UCLA International Institute. Accessed January 21, 2023.
https://www.international.ucla.edu/apc/article/54706.

2- “Canada's Approach - Sudan.” ReliefWeb, December 9, 2011. https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/canadas-

approach.

3- “Conflict in Darfur.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed January 21, 2023.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudan/Conflict-in-Darfur.

4- “Darfur Today.” Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Accessed January 21, 2023.
https://www.hmd.org.uk/learn-about-the-holocaust-and-genocides/darfur/today-
darfur/#:~:text=Although%20the%20worst%20of%20the,in%20Sudan's%20other%20ongoing%20conflicts.

5- “DARFUR.” United States holocaust memorial museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Accessed January 21, 2023. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/darfur.

6- “Death Toll/Impact - Darfur Genocide.” Google Sites: Sign-in. Accessed January 21, 2023.
https://sites.google.com/site/darfurgenocidegoa/death-toll-impact.

7- “Nicholas Kristof Quotes.” BrainyQuote. Xplore. Accessed January 21, 2023.

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/nicholas_kristof_373166?src=t_darfur.

8- Tran, Mark. “Victims of Darfur Atrocities Find a Voice.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, July 22,
2008. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/22/sudan.

9- “Understanding the Darfur Conflict.” Origins. Accessed January 21, 2023.

https://origins.osu.edu/article/worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-understanding-darfur-conflict?
language_content_entity=en.