Darfur conflict

The **Darfur conflict** is an ongoing military conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, the third largest country in Africa.  It is a conflict along ethnic and tribal lines that began in 2003.  Many people and the United States Government, consider it to be a genocide. The United Nations currently does not see this as genocide.

## Those involved in the conflict

One side of the conflict is composed mainly of the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited from the Arab tribes who move from place to place herding camels.  The Sudanese government tells the public that it does not support the Janjaweed.  However, it has provided cash and assistance and has even participated in joint attacks.

The other side of the conflict is made up of a number of rebel armies, including the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. These armies are recruited from Black ethnic groups who make a living farming the land.

## How the conflict is dealt with

The African Union sent a 7,000-troop peacekeeping force to Sudan.  However, this force was poorly funded and under-equipped.  So the United Nations decided to send an additional 17,300-troop peacekeeping force to help them.  Sudan was strongly against this decision and saw the UN forces as foreign invaders.  The next day, the Sudanese military launched a major offensive in the region.

The Sudanese government may have suppressed information about the conflict. Some witnesses have been jailed, others may have been killed. This started in 2004. Also, some evidence, such as mass graves was tampered with, so that it became unusable. Some people say this was done by forces which are close to the Sudanese government. In addition, by obstructing and arresting journalists, the Sudanese government has been able to obscure much of what has gone on. The United States government has described it as genocide,. The UN has declined to do so. In March 2007 the UN mission accused Sudan's government of "gross violations" in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect  civilians there.

## Effect of the conflict

There are different estimates of how many died in the conflict. According to Sudan's government, 9,000 people have been killed.  On the other hand, many other people say that it could be from 200,000 to over 400,000.  By October 2006, as many as 2.5 million people had to move because of the conflict.

The United Nations says that about 200,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far. Most non-governmental organizations use 200,000 to more than 400,000. The latter is a figure from the Coalition for International Justice that has since been cited by the UN. Sudan's government claims that more than 9,000 people have been killed, although this figure is seen as a gross underestimate.

## Related pages

- Bibliography of the Darfur conflict

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **conflict**: War in Darfur
- **partof**: the Sudanese Civil War (disambiguation), Sudanese Civil Wars
- **image**: Sudanese Internal Conflict.svg
- **image size**: 300px
- **caption**: Military situation in Sudan on 6 June 2016.  (Darfur on the far left)

For a more detailed map of the current military situation in Sudan, see Template:Sudanese Internal Conflict detailed map, here.
- **date**: 26 February 2003 – 31 August 2020
()
- **place**: Darfur, Sudan
- **status**: List of ongoing armed conflicts, Ongoing
* Intertwined with the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile
- **combatant1**: Sudan Revolutionary Front, SRF
*  Justice and Equality Movement, JEM
*  Sudan Liberation Army, SLA
* Liberation and Justice Movement, LJM (from 2010)
Sudanese Awakening Revolutionary Council, SARC (from 2014)

Sudan Liberation Force Alliance, SLFA (from 2017)

*  SLA-Unity
* Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice, SLMJ
*  JEM (Jali)
**Supported by:**

(2005–2010)

(until 2008)

History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi#Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1977–2011), Libya (until 2011)

(until 2015)
- **combatant2**: * Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF
Janjaweed

**Supported by:**

(until 2016)

- **combatant3**: UNAMID (from 2007)
- **commander1**: Ahmed Diraige

Khalil Ibrahim

Gibril Ibrahim

Abdul Wahid al Nur (SLA-AW)

Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM)

Musa Hilal (SARC)
- **commander2**: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
 Omar al-Bashir (until April 2019)

Musa Hilal (until 2017)

Hamid Dawai

Ali Kushayb

Ahmed Haroun (until April 2019)

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
- **commander3**: Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi

Frank Mushyo Kamanzi
- **units1**: Sudan Liberation Army, SLA
* SLA-AW
* SLA-MM
* SLA-Second Revolution
* SLA-Unity
 Justice and Equality Movement, JEM
* Gibril Ibrahim faction
* Abdallah Bishir Jali faction
- **units2**: Sudanese Armed Forces
* Popular Defence Forces
* Rapid Support Forces
- **units3**: No specific units
- **strength1**: **SRF:** 60,000
* **JEM:** 35,000
- **strength2**: **SAF:** 109,300
* **RSF:** 17,500
**Janjaweed:** <25,000
- **strength3**: **UNAMID:**
15,845 soldiers and 3,403 police officers
- **casualties1**: Unknown
- **casualties2**: Unknown
- **casualties3**: 235 killed
- **notes**: Known as the National Redemption Front prior to 2011.

Signed the 2011 Darfur Peace Agreement, Doha Darfur Peace Agreement in 2011.

Number does not represent the number of soldiers stationed in Darfur, but the total number of military personnel.
- **casualties4**: **Total killed:**

300,000 (UN estimate)

<small>10,000 (Sudan, Sudanese government estimate)</small>

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**Total displaced:**

2,850,000–3,000,000 (UN estimate)
<small>450,000 (Sudan, Sudanese government estimate)</small>