...Darfur is geographically situated in the westernmost province of Sudan (North). The region has been rocked by constant civil wars that generated feelings of hatred between different ethnic groups in the region and frequent crisis, which was humanitarian in most cases that attracted the international and regional organizations concern since 2003. The Darfur region was an arena of violent clashes between African tribes namely Fur, Mazalit, and Zaghwa and Arabian tribes. This unmediated and unsolved conflicts turned into one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The conflict in Darfur has old and deep roots and it’is only the latest manifestation of a recurring problem. However, several important differences distinguish the 2003 and 2005...
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...The Root Cause of the Politically Unstable State of the Sudan Introduction Between the 1870s and 1900, Africa faced a process of European aggression, invasion, and eventual conquest and colonization. The European imperialist push to take over Africa was driven by the industrial revolution and the hopes of becoming a world power. After two world wars, countries that had previously been colonized agitated for independence, and eventually colonial powers withdrew their administrators from Africa. For each African state, becoming independent meant something far more than simply gaining back territory. For some, it was the beginning of a stable government, a local economy and a cultural comeback. For others such as the Sudan, it was the start of tragic consequences driven by political conflicts and civil wars. Through the process of decolonization that began, African leaders worked to shape the character of their postcolonial state, usually either against the continued European cultural and political predominance, while others worked with European powers in order to maintain an economically and politically stable state. As the success of each nation and region of Africa widely varied after their independence, their progress also varied. Unfortunately, some are still struggling to overcome these crucial instabilities preventing them from being at peace within their own state, and internationally. By examining Sudan and the decades leading up to its current political, social...
Words: 3381 - Pages: 14
...Darfur Conflict. Location of Darfur: Darfur is a state/region with a small population in the country of Sudan which is located in the continent/region of Africa.Its biggest cities and towns include Umm Kaddadah, Kutum, `Abd Allah Bashir and`Abd Allah. Darfur is the western region of Sudan, Africa. Darfur is not a country in itself. The region was home to about 6 million people and is about the size of France. Darfur is home to racially mixed tribes of settled peasants, who identify as African, and nomadic herders, who identify as Arab. The majority of people in both groups are Muslim. It is largely an arid plateau with the Marrah Mountains (Jebel Marra), a range of volcanic peaks rising up to 3,042 meters (9,980 ft) in the centre of the region. In early 1991, non-Arabs of the Zaghawa tribe of Sudan attested that they were victims of an intensifying Arab apartheid campaign, segregating Arabs and non- Arabs.[20] Sudanese Arabs, who controlled the government, were widely referred to as practicing apartheid against Sudan's non-Arab citizens Causes of the conflict: The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) began attacking government targets in early 2003, accusing Khartoum of oppressing black Africans in favour of Arabs. Darfur, which means land of the Fur, has faced many years of tension over land and grazing rights between the mostly nomadic Arabs, and farmers from the Fur, Massaleet and Zaghawa communities. Darfur is itself a very diverse...
Words: 1145 - Pages: 5
...Crisis in Darfur: An Educational Simulation July 10, 2009 U.S. Diplomacy Center Department of State PARTICIPANT BACKGROUND GUIDE INTRODUCTION: “CRISIS IN DARFUR” Whether the murder, rape, pillage, and displacement of tens of thousands in the Darfur region of Sudan is labeled a tragedy, or civil war, or ethnic cleansing, or genocide “in slow motion” 1, the world can’t ignore what is going on in western Sudan. According to the UN, over 2.1 million people are believed to have left their homes, and up to 70,000 have been killed. Other estimates put the death toll higher, up to 400,000. International media has only limited access due to the remoteness and instability in this vast region the size of France. So we don’t see all the day to day details of suffering as we did, for example, in late 1998 in Kosovo. Those images and reports helped trigger UN ultimatums and eventual NATO intervention in 1999. After the Holocaust, the world said “never again” should we stand by and watch while millions are slaughtered. After the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s, after the Rwandan genocide of 1994, and after the mass killings in Srebrenica in Bosnia in 1995, the world also stood by, and then said “never again.” And now we have Darfur. Thus Darfur can be seen as a profound test of the credibility of the international community: the United Nations, the international NGO community, the African Union, and citizens and governments around the world. Is there the will to act in Darfur or will we stand...
Words: 7062 - Pages: 29
...Conflict and the Environment The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) military escort for UNEP fieldwork near El Geneina, Western Darfur. Intense competition over declining natural resources is one of the underlying causes of the ongoing conflict. SUDAN POST-CONFLICT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Conflict and the Environment 4.1 Introduction and assessment activities 2. an overview of the role of natural resources in the instigation and continuation of historical and current conflicts, listing the major resources of concern and focusing specifically on conflicts involving rangelands and rain-fed agricultural land; and 3. a brief environmental impact assessment of the various conflicts, evaluating the direct and indirect impacts of conflict on Sudan’s environment. Chronic environmental problems are covered in other chapters, though it should be noted that at the local level, the boundary between chronic and conflict-related environmental issues is often unclear. Assessment activities The assessment of conflict-related issues was an integral part of fieldwork throughout the country. In addition, UNEP carried out a number of specific activities, including: Introduction Sudan has been wracked by civil war and regional strife for most of the past fifty years, and at the time of finalizing this report, in June 2007, a major conflict rages on in Darfur. At the same time, Sudan suffers from a number of severe environmental problems, both within and outside current and historical conflict-affected...
Words: 9962 - Pages: 40
...community was muted about Darfur conflict. In this respect the chronicle of the international response to the Darfur conflict is in one common sense a familiar tale. Here we can say that, there were anxieties between bilateral and multilateral perspectives. There were contending political concerns within Sudan, within the region and in the globe at large which acted to entertain and restrain political response to what was happening in Darfur, hence international community paid much attention to North and South armed conflict and kept aside their concentrations and commitments on the other conflict in Darfur. As Darfur conflict being on the world agenda, the international community had not yet led to...
Words: 954 - Pages: 4
...and even clanism, in other cases, can easily result in the onset of genocide. Greed is also a consistent feature of many genocide-stricken states. The more worrying issue, apart from the killing of millions of innocent civilians, is the prejudice with which many of the leaders of these factions plan and coordinate these atrocities. The notion that leaders are well above the law is characteristic of states that have felt the iron grip of genocide. The case of Darfur is one of the most disheartening. Darfur has been embroiled in the throes of genocide for the better part of the 21st Century. Having been the first genocide of the 21st Century, the mention of Darfur does not resonate well on the global landscape. Upon the realization of freedom from the British, Sudan had little time to pause and draw a clear and concise roadmap that would spearhead development. For the large remainder of the 20th Century, Sudan suffered civil wars as the Northern Muslims fought with the Southern non-Muslims. The fact that Northern Sudan was more commercially viable than the South sparked off the civil wars, with both sides...
Words: 2199 - Pages: 9
...Last year on September 9, 2014, “the on-going conflict in Darfur, Sudan was declared “genocide” by United States Secretary of State Colin Powell”("Darfur Genocide « World Without Genocide - Working to Create a World Without Genocide."). The Darfur Genocide specifically refers to the wiping out of the Darfur race of people in Western Sudan. Starting in 2003 and still happening today, it is the first genocide of the 21st century and could potentially be the worst. By way of recent recognition, the United Nations calls it the greatest crisis in the world; and the United States now calls it genocide. But the damage done to the people of Darfur may already be beyond repair. What’s happening is taking place in Sudan, the largest country in Africa. Where almost 480,000 people...
Words: 609 - Pages: 3
...The conflict in the Darfur Region of Sudan began in February of 2003. At least 400,000 people have been murdered and more than 2.5 million civilians have been displaced. These citizens now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring country known as Chad. More than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival, some of which isn’t able to reach areas in Darfur. Women are raped and tortured and innocent civilians lack the most basic protections. The Sudanese armed forces and Sudanese government-backed militia known as “Janjaweed” have been fighting two rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The stated political aim of the rebels has been to force 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 have targeted civilian populations and ethnic group from which the rebels primarily draw their support which would include the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. The Darfur Peace Agreement also known as the Abuja Agreement, is a peace agreement signed in May 2006 by the largest rebel group the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Mini Menawi and the Sudanese Government was an effort to achieve peace in Darfur. The agreement addressed the long-standing banishment of Darfur and was intended to chart...
Words: 701 - Pages: 3
...Christian Rosales SRI Outline Jaya S. Sudan, as the largest country in Africa has been involved in internal conflicts since the independence of 1956. Recently, the conflicts have been most prevalent in the western region of Sudan known as Darfur. The conflicts in Darfur revolved around a myriad of levels of complexities including that of the international level with terms that western countries define as genocidal. The origins of the genocidal views pertain to the rising internal tensions that have caused a civil dispute between the north and the south. Meanwhile, the Islamist National Front (NIF), a powerful political party lead by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, took advantage of the Sudanese political instability to rise into power and reform governmental policies in Sudan. Since the ruling of al-Bashir many Sudanese people have become frustrated with rising levels of poverty, humanitarian reform, lack of representation within the government, and support for the pro government militia known as the Janaweed. Rising oppositions of the al-Bashir totalitarian regime became victims of a brutal genocidal act enforced by the president of Sudan. Consequently, the issue has captured the attention of the UN and pro-western democracy countries around the world. Over the course of history there has been a sudden increase in international influence and responsibilities on the major countries that represent a unified regime. Western influence has spread to become the main source of influence...
Words: 1173 - Pages: 5
...Sudan and South Sudan’s Merging Conflicts Africa Report N°223 | 29 January 2015 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 brussels@crisisgroup.org Table of Contents Executive Summary................................................................................................................... i Recommendations..................................................................................................................... iii I. II. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... South Kordofan – the Epicentre of Sudan’s Conflicts ..................................................... A. The Government’s “Hot Dry Season” Campaign ....................................................... B. The Sudan Revolutionary Front ................................................................................ III. Internal Nuer Conflict in Unity State ............................................................................... A. Historic Disunity ........................................................................................................ B. Bul Nuer Rising .......................................................................................................... 1 2 2 4 7 7 8 IV. Merging Conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan ......................................................
Words: 20903 - Pages: 84
...China and USA in New Cold War over Africa’s Oil Riches Darfur? It’s the Oil, Stupid... By F. William Engdahl | Global Research, May 20, 2007 | To paraphrase the famous quip during the 1992 US Presidential debates, when an unknown William Jefferson Clinton told then-President George Herbert Walker Bush, “It’s the economy, stupid,” the present concern of the current Washington Administration over Darfur in southern Sudan is not, if we were to look closely, genuine concern over genocide against the peoples in that poorest of poor part of a forsaken section of Africa.No. “It’s the oil, stupid.” Hereby hangs a tale of cynical dimension appropriate to a Washington Administration that has shown no regard for its own genocide in Iraq, when its control over major oil reserves is involved. What’s at stake in the battle for Darfur? Control over oil, lots and lots of oil. The case of Darfur, a forbidding piece of sun-parched real estate in the southern part of Sudan, illustrates the new Cold War over oil, where the dramatic rise in China’s oil demand to fuel its booming growth has led Beijing to embark on an aggressive policy of—ironically-- dollar diplomacy. With its more than $1.3 trillion in mainly US dollar reserves at the Peoples’ National Bank of China, Beijing is engaging in active petroleum geopolitics. Africa is a major focus, and in Africa, the central region between Sudan and Chad is priority. This is defining a major new front in what, since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003...
Words: 3108 - Pages: 13
...Sudanese Armed Forces. The Janjaweed help in the massacre, slaughtering hundreds like pigs. Bodies strewn about, lying in ditches as their family cries over them. Hundreds of men covered in soot and soil, coughing and sputtering, climbing out of oil holes and caves for little to no pay. This is Sudan (About Sudan). Over the years Sudan has steadily gone down the drain. Lead by the twice indicted president Omar al-Bashir, it has been plagued by genocide and war. Around 1955 the people of Sudan became fed up with the government and demanded...
Words: 1766 - Pages: 8
...Elhariry International Law Professor Taub Due Date: 12/16/2011 UN Security Council’s Referral and Article 16 of the Rome Statute The Darfur Conflict began in February of 2003 when the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) took up arms against the Sudanese government claiming their actions as a retaliation of years of persecution by Arab Sudanese in the north against non-Arabs in the south. They were met with resistance by the national army and the Janjaweed forces, a militia that is not officially recognized by the Sudanese government, but acts in its’ best interests nonetheless. The United Nations estimates that there have been at least 300,000 Sudanese killed between 2003 and 2005. During that period, around two million more were displaced from their homes and forced to seek refuge. The conflict is still ongoing. After the relative success of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), a draft statute was adopted to establish an international criminal tribunal that had jurisdiction over crimes of war crimes, crimes against humanity, aggression, and genocide. The result was the Rome Statute, which was drafted in 1998 and that required the approval of 60 states in order to come into force, which it did on July, 1st 2002. Sudan signed the Rome Statue in September of 2000 while Omar al-Bashir was President, but did not ratify it, thus not accepting the jurisdiction...
Words: 4005 - Pages: 17
...Crisis in Darfur The crisis in Darfur is a very serious and ugly situation happening in the very heart of Africa in the country of Sudan. This is a conflict of much bloodshed and death that has been going on for many years and there seems to be no end in sight. It is a complicated conflict involving many people including rebel groups and corrupt governments. I will discuss the history of this conflict and how it is affecting the people and the country. I will also talk about different solutions to possibly end this horrible conflict. The Darfur conflict has often been portrayed as a struggle between Arabs and Africans sparked by ethnic and tribal tension over competition of resources. However as with many conflicts in Sudan and Africa as a whole there is no single root cause. It is a set of intertwined factors that are driving this war. Things such as historical grievances, perception of race, demand for power, the distribution of economic resources, and access to resources are just several of the numerous factors that are driving this war. This quote by a struggling woman typifies what is going on in Darfur, “I have been waiting here two days for my turn, and if the water finishes I will have to ask for water from other people," says Khadija Musa, the elderly woman. "Sometimes I have to borrow water to cook. Our clothes are filthy, we cannot wash without water." She rubs her shoulder and sighs. "The only thing left is to die"(Christian). The current conflict started...
Words: 1248 - Pages: 5
