Background

Darfur has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for over three years.  At least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter.

Since early 2003, 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 compel 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 – largely composed of fighters of Arab nomadic background – have targeted civilian populations and ethnic group from which the rebels primarily draw their support – the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

The Bush Administration has recognized these atrocities – carried out against civilians primarily by the government of Sudan and its allied Janjaweed militias – as genocide.  António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has described the situation in Sudan and Chad as “the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe.”  The Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias are responsible for the burning and destruction of hundreds of rural villages, the killing of tens of thousands of people and rape and assault of thousands of women and girls.

With much international pressure, the Darfur Peace Agreement was brokered in May 2006 between the government of Sudan and one faction of Darfur rebels. However, deadlines have been ignored and the violence has escalated, with in-fighting among the various rebel groups and factions dramatically increasing and adding a new layer of complexity to the conflict. This violence has made it dangerous, if not impossible, for most of the millions of displaced persons to return to their homes. Humanitarian aid agencies face growing obstacles to bringing widespread relief.  In August 2006, the UN's top humanitarian official Jan Egeland stated that the situation in Darfur is "going from real bad to catastrophic."  Indeed, the violence in Darfur rages on with government-backed militias still attacking civilian populations with impunity.

On July 30, 2004, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1556 demanding that the government of Sudan disarm the Janjaweed.  This same demand is also an important part of the Darfur Peace Agreement signed in May of 2006.  On August 31, 2006, the Security Council took the further step of authorizing a strong UN peacekeeping force for Darfur by passing resolution 1706.  Despite these actions, the Janjaweed are still active and free to commit the same genocidal crimes against civilians in Darfur with the aid of the Sudanese government.

International experts agree that the United Nations Security Council must deploy a peacekeeping force with a mandate to protect civilians immediately. Until it arrives, the under-funded and overwhelmed African Union monitoring mission must be bolstered. And governments and international institutions must provide and ensure access to sufficient humanitarian aid for those in need.

9/16/2006 FACTS Comm./Design Xchage, Source: SaveDarfur.org

News/Alerts  on darfur brought to you by GOOGLE:

Google Alert for: darfur   Darfur peace force 'set to fail' BBC News - UK The hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur in Sudan is "being set up to fail", a report by 35 aid organisations warns. ... See all stories on this topic European Commission to boost EU support for the peace process in ... ReliefWeb (press release) - Geneva,Switzerland The EC also stands ready to support substantial rehabilitation and reconstruction work in Darfur – to add to the development assistance already accorded for ... See all stories on this topic   AZ of Chad & Darfur Mirror.co.uk - London,UK This year the Daily Mirror is raising money for Oxfam's work in Darfur and Chad where three million people are living in camps facing a bleak future. ... See all stories on this topic   UN operation in Darfur short troops By David R. Sands Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA The Bush administration has accused Khartoum of genocide in a brutal civil war with Darfur separatist groups that has killed an estimated 200000 and driven ... See all stories on this topic A comprehensive guide to China's role in Darfur. New Republic (subscription) - Washington,DC,USA What ended up happening, though, was hardly a surprise to anyone who has watched Darfur closely over the last five years. China threatened to veto the ... See all stories on this topic Charity workers go on trial over kidnaps The Australian - Sydney,Australia But the case has also sparked anger in Chad where France is soon to lead a EU peacekeeping force near the border with Sudan's troubled Darfur region. ... See all stories on this topic   Despite Peace Process, Darfur Still Looking for Stability Voice of America - USA By Derek Kilner In the past year, international efforts to end the four-year-old conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan have included approval of a ... See all stories on this topic US Congress passes Sudan divestment bill Reuters - USA By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The US Congress pressed for an end to the violence in the Darfur region by passing legislation on Tuesday ... See all stories on this topic 'Time is not on our side' - an agenda for the Darfur peacekeeping ... ReliefWeb (press release) - Geneva,Switzerland The African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), of more than 26000 peacekeepers, is due to be up and running by the end of 2007. ... See all stories on this topic Darfur rebels halt 50000 b/d Defra oil production Oil & Gas Journal - Houston,TX,USA 18 -- Darfur rebels of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Sudan said they attacked the Defra oil facility in south Kordofan, halting an estimated ... See all stories on this topic Designers for Darfur New York Observer - New York,NY,USA by David Foxley An awful lot has already been made of the catty feud between Designers for Darfur's Malcolm Harris (aka Malcolm Sirrah, à la Oprah/Harpo) ... See all stories on this topic Sudan: Darfur - UN Envoy Calls for Cessation of Hostilities On Eve ... AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA A senior United Nations envoy has issued an appeal for all sides to the Darfur conflict to cease their hostilities on the eve of the deployment of a hybrid ... See all stories on this topic On the Front Line in Darfur Vatican Radio - The Vatican (18 Dec 07 - RV) A report released today by the International Committee of the Red Cross says insecurity in Darfur continues to disrupt people's lives and ... See all stories on this topic The Perils of Huckaplomacy Yahoo! News - USA At another GOP debate in Baltimore, journalist Cynthia Tucker asked Huckabee about Darfur. "Governor," she wondered, "does the US have a role to play in ... See all stories on this topic US special envoy to Sudan resigns post Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa Natsios was appointed to the post by President George W. Bush in September 2006 and has devoted much of his time to trying to resolve the crisis in Darfur, ... See all stories on this topic A light for Darfur Boston Globe - United States While George Clooney and Don Cheadle were in Rome collecting Men of Peace Awards for their efforts on behalf of Darfur, Jonah Burke was sitting quietly at ... See all stories on this topic 'Horrors of Darfur' by Mia Farrow Mirror.co.uk - London,UK I am writing to you, the readers of the Daily Mirror, to thank you for the support you have given to the people of Chad and Darfur, a region I have visited ... See all stories on this topic Rapport: Protection of Civilians - Learning from Darfur Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK Based on an examination of practical experiences with protection of civilians in Darfur, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and DanChurchAid hosted ... See all stories on this topic   Bush Names Successor as Sudan Envoy Steps Down Washington Post - United States But he has also been at the center of intense bureaucratic battling over what to do about the humanitarian disaster in Sudan's Darfur region. ... See all stories on this topic Shine light of hope on Darfur Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada In Darfur today we project a different image. It is the image of a nation denying the will of its people, no longer credible as a defender of human rights, ... See all stories on this topic UK’s Tory leader tasks China over Darfur, Mugabe Journal Chrétien - Paris,France He specifically prevailed on China to stop the « sickening human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and Sudan’s Darfur region ». "In both cases, China is a massive ... See all stories on this topic SUNRISE: Dolls for orphaned kids in Darfur closer to delivery Sun-Sentinel.com - Fort Lauderdale,FL,USA More than 1000 dolls hand-sewn by a dozen elderly women are a step closer to reaching orphaned children in Darfur. The toys, crafted by residents at the ... See all stories on this topic   Sudan's group leader calls for national reconciliation Xinhua - China In the volatile country of Sudan, the chance of realizing a comprehensive peace in the conflict-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur is still slim in ... See all stories on this topic Aid Darfur's outgunned defenders Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada A year ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper pleaded with the world to ease Darfur's tragedy. "We must act to save a desperate population," he said. ... See all stories on this topic SRC Takes Arrangement to Fill Food Gap in S. Darfur Sudanese Media Center - Sudan Strategic Reserved Corporation (SRC) said it ha started arrangements to fill the food gap in south Darfur state. The SRC said the gap was created due to ... See all stories on this topic Chad threatens to strike rebels inside Sudan Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since a conflict began in Sudan's border region of Darfur nearly five years ago, spilling fighters and ... See all stories on this topic Call for action over Darfur carnage Guardian Unlimited - UK The international community has been asked to take urgent action to prevent the crisis in Darfur becoming a repeat of the mass slaughter in Rwanda. ... See all stories on this topic Blair's Darfur letter in full BBC News - UK Tony Blair has written to each European Union member calling for unity on the crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Here is his letter: ... See all stories on this topic Global Day for Darfur Involves 34 Nations Christian Post - San Francisco,CA,USA NEW YORK – Tens of thousands of people all over the world will take part in the Global Day for Darfur on Sunday to call world leaders to take immediate ... See all stories on this topic Cameron: Darfur is now an extreme international emergency Conservatives.com - UK "No one should be in any doubt that Darfur is now an extreme international emergency. The hopes raised by the Peace Agreement earlier ... See all stories on this topic Bush urges UN to act in Darfur Kankakee Daily Journal - Kankakee,IL,USA WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush suggested Friday it may be time to send international peacekeepers into Sudan's war-torn Darfur region over the objections of ... See all stories on this topic San Francisco Concert and Rally for Darfur Mathaba.Net - London,UK As part of the "Global Day for Darfur" with events throughout the world to raise awareness of the huge catastrophe in the west of Sudan, the Bay Area Darfur ... See all stories on this topic Darfur Rallies Urge UN Peacekeepers; Sudan Disagrees (Update1) Bloomberg - USA ... cities today to demand that the United Nations send peacekeepers to protect millions of civilians threatened by the conflict in Sudan's western region of Darfur ... See all stories on this topic UN rights body faces test over Darfur, Sri Lanka Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK GENEVA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The United Nations Human Rights Council needs to take action on crises in Darfur and Sri Lanka to secure its credibility and usher ... Global Day for Darfur - Sep. 17 ePluribus Media - USA From Abuja to Vancouver, people around the world will take part in the Global Day for Darfur Sunday to show worldwide support for the Darfuri people and to put ... See all stories on this topic Sudan Government Split Over Darfur UN Intervention Mathaba.Net - London,UK ... junior partner in power sharing, is now split over the pressures mounting on the regime to accept the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution on Darfur ... See all stories on this topic Blair appeals over Darfur violence Guardian Unlimited - UK Tony Blair moved to ratchet up the pressure on Sudan by appealing to EU leaders to demand a halt to the violence in Darfur. In a ... See all stories on this topic Tony Blair to propose new Darfur initiative Malaysia Star - Malaysia ... Minister Tony Blair said on Saturday he would propose an incentive package for Sudan as part of a new initiative to end the crisis in war-torn Darfur and get ... Kiir supports UN peacekeepers in Darfur Gulf News - Dubai,United Arab Emirates ... One of Sudan's two vice-presidents said in remarks published yesterday that he would accept the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region ... See all stories on this topic Quantifying genocide in Darfur Sudan Tribune - Sudan Hagan and Palloni conclude that, “the death toll in Darfur is conservatively estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands rather than tens of thousands of ... See all stories on this topic

Darfur crisis a regional 'earthquake'
United Press International - USA
16 (UPI) -- Sudan's war-torn Darfur region is the "epicenter of a major earthquake" that could devastate regional peace, a United Nations official said Saturday ...
See all stories on this topic