October 2004

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

Q & A: Crisis in Darfur

This information is provided by the Africa Unit of the American Friends Service Committee.

What is happening in Darfur?

In early 2003, an armed conflict started between an alliance of the Sudanese government forces and ethnic Arab militia and two non-Arab African rebel groups called the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. Instead of fighting the rebels, the government forces have waged a campaign against unarmed civilians of the same ethnic groups as the rebel groups -- mainly the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa.

What is the ethnic and religious composition of Sudan?

Ethnically, Arabs make up 39 percent and Africans 61 percent. Religiously, Muslims make up 70 percent and the rest are Christians and traditional believers. The central government has been dominated by Arabs and Muslims since the country's independence in 1956.

What are the divisions in Darfur?

Dozens of ethnic groups inhabit Darfur, groups of Arab and African ethnicity who have lived peacefully side by side in the past. The majority is non-Arabic farmers of African origin. Of these, the largest ethnic group is the Fur.

More than 500 people, including hundreds of African refugees, rallied outside the United Nations to tell international leaders to stop standing by and start saving lives in Sudan. For information on future actions and how to pressure key members of the UN Security Council, contact the iAbolish Freedom Action Network, http://www.ga0.org/freedom_action/home.html, or Amnesty International at www.amnesty.org.

The Arab groups have complained of political marginalization by the Fur. The Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa complain of political marginalization by the government. Since the current government took power through a military coup in 1989, it has changed administrative systems and taken other measures that are perceived to be supporting the political and economic cause of the Arab ethnic groups.

There is no religious conflict. Almost all Darfurians are Muslims.

What are the economic causes of the war?

Darfur is a very poor region almost entirely dedicated to subsistence agriculture and livestock herding for domestic and export purposes. Northern Darfur is an area impacted by desertification. For years, mostly Arab nomads from this area -- who take their livestock from the dry north to better water and grazing lands in the south every dry season -- have been moving into southern Darfur earlier and earlier. This has brought them into conflict with the farmers, whose crops have been trampled on and consumed by herds of camels or cattle. Some of the African communities resorted to self-defense groups in the 1990s to protect their crops, homes, and families from increasing incursions by the Arab camel- or horse-mounted raiders, many of whom have also been armed over the past decades.

Is this another African case of "ancient tribal hatreds"?

As late as two years ago, Darfurians did not identify themselves as "Africans" or "Arabs." They referred to themselves as Sudanese and secondarily as Westerners or Darfurians. Only recently, with the government waging war against the African communities, have the affected Darfurians called themselves "Africans." While ethnic tensions have certainly increased in Darfur due to the current conflict, this is a result of the government's political and military policy of manipulating ethnicity and using ethnic militias to fight the rebels -- in the south and west.

Who are the Janjawid?

The Janjawid are Arab militia in Darfur. They are not drawn from all Arab groups in Darfur, however. Some Arab ethnicities have deliberately stayed out of the fight against the rebels and against the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa civilians. The militia members are mostly from the most impoverished nomadic Arab ethnic groups in Darfur and Chad.

Who assists the Sudanese government?

The Sudanese government buys and receives military supplies from several countries, including China, Russia, and Belarus. Sudan's government revenues have increased substantially since it began exporting oil in 1999 -- it is now estimated to be between one-half and one billion dollars a year. As a result, Sudan has been able to purchase additional attack helicopters, and other materiel.

Why are government and Janjawid forces displacing people from their homes?

Members of the targeted ethnic groups -- the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa -- believe the government is waging a campaign to resettle the lands of the African population in Darfur with Arabs. Some observers believe the displacement is part of a military strategy to destroy any possible support base for rebel groups.

Who are the rebels in Darfur?

There are two rebel groups: the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The rebels come mostly from the African ethnic groups -- the Fur, Masaalit, and Zaghawa. Both rebel groups were formally created in early 2003 in response to the perceived political marginalization and chronic underdevelopment of Darfur, and discrimination and mounting government and militia violence against their communities. The SLM/A was initially provided some training and possibly arms by the main southern rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The Sudanese government claims that the Eritrean government provides assistance for the SLM/A. The JEM includes members or former members of the (Islamist) Popular National Congress, a splinter group of the ruling party.

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