The Darfur Crisis (To supplement the documentary “The Devil Came on Horseback”)

Background to the Darfur Crisis: animosity between southern and northern Sudan is deeply rooted in the past; for thousands of years the South was raided for slaves Islam is the religion of the north, Christianity and animism dominates in the south Islam did not spread to the south until the late 19th century Egypt (backed by the UK) subdued that part of the country and Sudan became a joint protectorate of Egypt and the UK until 1955, the year of independence in 1983, the Muslim dominated government decided to impose sharia on the Sudan, including the Christian and animistic south as a result there were two civil wars in Sudan at some point: between Muslim-Arab dominated regime in Khartoum and black, non-Muslim rebels in the south (oil found complicates the matter). South Sudan gains independence from Sudan in 2011. between black Africans in Darfur and the Arab dominated regime in Khartoum, although both groups are nominally speaking Muslim

The Janjaweed Militia

Key Players in the Darfur Crisis since 2003: Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) emerged in opposition to the regime in Khartoum instead of seeking peaceful solution, government chooses to resolve conflict by force in July 2004 the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) starts monitoring the conflict, but is under-equipped with 7,000 and has no mandate to provide security in 2006 a Darfur Peace Agreement was signed between the government and groups in Darfur. However, the government in Khartoum refuses to let in a peacekeeping force of 17,300 based on a UN Security Council resolution in 2007, the UN Security Council passed another resolution to deploy 26,000 peacekeepers under a UN-African Union hybrid mission (UNAMID). in 2007 the International Criminal Court indicted Ahmed Haroun (former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs) and Ali Kushayb (Janjaweed leader) for crimes against humanity. In 2009 Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, became the first sitting president to be indicted by the ICC for directing a campaign of mass killing, rape, and pillage against civilians in Darfur. All three men remain free. violence and insecurity persist throughout the region and has spread into Chad

Oil as complicating factor

Dimensions of the Darfur Crisis since 2003 the ongoing humanitarian crisis is one of the worst on the African continent at least 400,000 men, women and children have been killed since then 2.7 million people have been displaced and often live in camps for refugees (IDPs); over 4.7 million Dafuris rely on humanitarian aid an unknown number of women and girls have been abducted, raped and abused a generation of children has reached school-age not knowing a home in addition to the violence, there is widespread malnourishment, compacted by a sharp and sudden rise in global food prices (why are prices for food rising)? to this day, violence and humanitarian crisis persists, and UNAMID (AU/UN Hybrid mission in Darfur) lacks both mandate and capacity to provide security complicating factors are oil (esp. China) and weapons sales (esp. Russia) as both China and Russia are permanent members of UN Security Council with veto powers the Darfur Crisis is still ongoing