The Darfur Crisis: Background on Five Years of Human Suffering
In early 2003, two rebel groups—the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)—from Sudan’s western region of Darfur launched major offensives on government bases there.
The rebels claimed that Darfur had suffered decades of political marginalization and economic neglect from the Sudanese government in Khartoum. Government forces responded, and the fighting escalated. Arab militia, commonly known as the Janjaweed and widely reported to be supported by the government, attacked villages, forcing residents from their homes—particularly in those villages and among ethnic groups thought to be sympathetic to the rebels.
In the last 12 months, the situation has grown increasingly complex. A peace agreement was signed in May, 2006, but since then rebel groups have splintered into countless factions and the region has grown ever more dangerous and lawless. Allegiances and areas of control shift frequently. There are ongoing attacks on civilians and, increasingly, aid workers and their assets are being targeted, too.
Few areas in the vast region remain untouched by the violence, which has forced more than 2.5 million people from their homes and left untold others dead. The crisis has now crossed Sudan’s borders and is aggravating tensions in Chad and the Central African Republic.
Today, the crisis in Darfur is commanding the world’s largest international humanitarian response. Among other things, aid groups are delivering food, shelter, medical care, water, and sanitation. More than 4 million in the region are now in need of that aid.
