THE CRISIS IN DARFUR

The Crisis in Darfur

The current crisis in Darfur has historical roots in the 21 year-long north-south conflict. In February 2003, two Darfurian rebel groups–the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)–demanded an end to economic marginalization and sought power-sharing within the Arab-ruled Sudanese state. They began attacking government targets, claiming that the region was being neglected by Khartoum.

The government responded to this threat by targeting the civilian populations from which the rebels were drawn. The government organized a military and political partnership with some Arab nomads comprising the Janjaweed; armed, trained, and organized them; and provided them effective impunity for all crimes committed. The historic tensions that exist between the mostly nomadic Arabs and Masaalit and Zaghawa farmers who populate Darfur aggravated tensions.

Today, an immense humanitarian crisis is gripping Sudan. Janjaweed are attacking the civilian populations of the Fur, Masaalit, and Zaghawa communities in Darfur. Villages and towns have been bombed and scorched, water sources and food stores have been destroyed, and civilians have been systematically targeted for mass killings, rape, and ethnic cleansing. The countryside is now emptied of its original Masaalit and Fur inhabitants. Livestock, food stores, wells and pumps, blankets and clothing have been looted or destroyed. Although specific numbers cannot be verified, it is estimated that 400,000 civilians have lost their lives, over two and a half million civilians have been internally displaced, and over 200,000 have fled to neighboring Chad.

In November 2004, the crisis further escalated when the Sudanese police and army surrounded camps for the internally displaced, blocking aid agency access and then destroying some of the camps. The distressing news of the Sudanese government’s efforts to hinder relief efforts for the people of Darfur provided clear evidence of the deteriorating security situation and the escalating humanitarian crisis. As a result of the blocking by the Sudanese army and police of aid agency access to refugees camps, 160,000 displaced people were no longer reachable by road, and scores of aid workers were being forced to evacuate due to lack of security. The Sudanese government then made a deplorable statement that aid agencies in Darfur are the “real enemy,” blaming them for aggravating the crisis.

The humanitarian situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate due to continued state-sponsored violence, increasingly violent attacks on humanitarian aid workers, a lack of funding for the African Union Mission in Sudan, and the weakened state of displaced Darfurians in both Sudan and neighboring Chad. As of Fall 2006, according the United Nations, aid work is at its lowest level in Darfur since operations began. Since May 2006, twelve aid workers have lost their lives. The African Union has provided just over 7,000 troops but unfortunately do not have the numbers, the capacity, or the mandate to truly protect civilians and save lives. The Janjaweed are using rape as a method to continue attacks on displaced Darfurians when they are forced to venture from the refugee camps to collect wood and water. Furthermore, famine and infectious diseases will potentially drive up the body counts rapidly unless immediate action is taken to provide necessary resources.