Although the crisis in Darfur is very complex, I am going to attempt to explain what is going on in Sudan to help others understand.
The Sudanese government, Khartoum, an oppressive regime led by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, saves the majority of the country’s resources for an elite few.
The goverment publicly denies any relationship with the Janjaweed militia, but has armed militia with weapons and finances. The government and Janjaweed have targeted rebel groups and communities using bombe, rape, and ground attacks.
Janjaweed forces are almost all Arab, fighting against non-Arabs.
The current crisis has been built upon a complicated history. A complex government history, colonialism, drought, conflict, and inequality has occurred in the past.
Ultimately, the international community has failed to sufficiently help and intervene with the conflict in Darfur. The death tole continues to rise, and civilians are continually displaced.
The U.N. has estimated that more that more than 400,000 people have died during the conflict, and more than 2 million have been displaced, not being able to safely return home.
Refugee camps lack the basic survival needs and the UN is desperately seeking peacekeepers.
The violence in Sudan still continues today.
For information regarding the current conditions in Sudan and the involvement of the UN please read Louis Charbonneau’s article, UN’s Ban says situation in Darfur is Deteriorating, at
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnN20458803.html
Photos by Daniel Pepper
One Comment
I am really impressed by this overview, Kailyn. I have heard a little bit about the issues in Darfur in some of my classes but I’d have to say you do one of the better jobs of comprehensively explaining the crisis in Sudan. This is really helpful to get an idea of what is happening over there and to really understand the importance of the issue relating to the Beijing Olympics.