Darfur Genocide
During the most recent documentary, we heard about the genocide in Darfur. However, they only pointed out that neighbors and friends turned on one another. The Darfur genocide occurred in West Sudan in 2003. During this period the Janjaweed, a “group of government-armed and Arab funded militias”, systematically killed Darfurians. They enacted such violence through burning villages, stealing necessary resources, contaminating water, and murder.
This genocide’s roots come from Sudan gaining independence from Great Britain in 1956. Their independence was followed by two civil wars that lasted till the early 2000s. The first civil war ended in 1972, but restarted in 1983, leaving 2 million people dead. The second civil war during the 1990s was based on tensions between north and south Sudan. During this period, the government ignored accounts of violence in Darfur.
An important factor of the Genocide was that the non-muslim, non-Arab, and Southern Sudanese people were oppressed. Additionally, there had been an onset of desertification in the late 1990s, “the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture”. The desertification lead nomads to compete for limited land resources. Since the nomads could not solve their problems through normal negotiation methods the area became militarized. These economic and social disputes lead to regional tensions. The turning point for the country was when oil was discovered in western Sudan in 2003.
Despite the influx of capital, Darfur was neglected. Specifically, they received next to no economic support. Due to their neglect and rumors that the government was arming the Janjaweed to pillage non-Arab villages, a group of rebels attacked a Sudanese Air Force base. Following the rebel’s actions, the government acted in reprisal by committing “large scale human rights atrocities” against the Darfurians.
The Janjaweed enacted the genocide with the help of the government. First, the Sudanese Air force bombed villages. Subsequently, the Janjaweed enacted “militia raids”. Following the raids, the remaining villagers were murdered. In addition to murder, the Janjaweed looted, burned food stocks, raped woman, and threw dead bodies into wells to contaminate the water supplies.
This genocide’s roots come from Sudan gaining independence from Great Britain in 1956. Their independence was followed by two civil wars that lasted till the early 2000s. The first civil war ended in 1972, but restarted in 1983, leaving 2 million people dead. The second civil war during the 1990s was based on tensions between north and south Sudan. During this period, the government ignored accounts of violence in Darfur.
An important factor of the Genocide was that the non-muslim, non-Arab, and Southern Sudanese people were oppressed. Additionally, there had been an onset of desertification in the late 1990s, “the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture”. The desertification lead nomads to compete for limited land resources. Since the nomads could not solve their problems through normal negotiation methods the area became militarized. These economic and social disputes lead to regional tensions. The turning point for the country was when oil was discovered in western Sudan in 2003.
Despite the influx of capital, Darfur was neglected. Specifically, they received next to no economic support. Due to their neglect and rumors that the government was arming the Janjaweed to pillage non-Arab villages, a group of rebels attacked a Sudanese Air Force base. Following the rebel’s actions, the government acted in reprisal by committing “large scale human rights atrocities” against the Darfurians.
The Janjaweed enacted the genocide with the help of the government. First, the Sudanese Air force bombed villages. Subsequently, the Janjaweed enacted “militia raids”. Following the raids, the remaining villagers were murdered. In addition to murder, the Janjaweed looted, burned food stocks, raped woman, and threw dead bodies into wells to contaminate the water supplies.
I love this post, and I really appreciate that you explain things that the documentaries left out. What really interests me is the fact that the first civil war ended and then restarted leaving two million people dead. When you say this, are you talking about the American Civil War, or a civil war in Sudan? Another thing that interests me is the fact that the Janjaweed were armed and encouraged by the Darfur government to "pillage non-Arab villages." It seems so underhanded to me that the Darfur government would do such a thing; it reminds me a lot of the Nazi government, and how they were able to get so many people on their side to exterminate the Jews.
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