Portal:Genocide/Selected article/2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Darfur conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Janjaweed militia group and the mostly land-tilling tribes of the region. The United Nations estimates that over 400,000 people have lost their lives since the beginning of this conflict.[1] The conflict began in February 2003, when rebel groups began attacking government targets. The government retaliated by launching a military and police campaign. The government has been accused of encouraging a group of Arab nomads called the Janjaweed to rape, murder and loot the African farmers[citation needed]. Because of this, more than two million people have fled their homes. Unlike the Second Sudanese Civil War, which was fought between the primarily Muslim north and Christian and Animist south, in Darfur most of the residents are Muslim, as are the Janjaweed.
Attempts at mediation by the African Union led to a peace accord between the Sudanese government and the largest rebel group in the Darfur region, signed May 5, 2006[1], but the United Nations says that there has actually been a dramatic increase in violence and displacement since the deal was signed[2].
Those who fled the Janjaweed now live in refugee camps across Darfur. About 2.5 million refugees have crossed the border into neighboring Chad.
Many Darfuri children, even in the refugee camps, are malnourished and starving to death. Aid workers in Darfur are denied access to some parts of Darfur[citation needed]. The Sudan government will not allow United Nations forces to enter Sudan[citation needed].
The United Nations has threatened military intervention[citation needed], but the Sudanese government argues that it is caught in a continuing civil war and that no outside powers should seek to meddle in its internal affairs[citation needed].
In January 2007, President Omar al-Bashir agreed to a cease-fire whereby the Sudanese "government and rebel groups will cease hostilities for a period of 60 days while they work towards a lasting peace" [3], however, according to the Save Darfur Coalition, this cease-fire was broken weeks later when military aircraft bombed civilians in Darfur[4].
The International Criminal Court has indicted State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Haroun and alleged Janjaweed militia leader Ali Mohammed Ali aka Ali Kosheib,in relation to the atrocites in the region. Ahmed Haroun belongs to the Fur tribe one of the non Arab tribes of Darfur and is alleged to have incited attacks on specific ethnic groups. Ali Kosheib is an ex soldier and a leader of the popular defense forces and is cocked to be one of the key leaders responsible for attacks on villages in West Darfur.
(See also International response to the Darfur conflict.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur
| References |
|---|
|
