Shield the Women of Darfur
UPDATE: THE CRISIS IN DARFUR
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The Origins of the Conflict
Low-level conflict has simmered in Darfur for years, characterized primarily by disputes between nomadic and agriculturalist groups and based on increased competition for resources. Nomadic groups were accustomed to move south during the dry season after the harvest to graze their herds on the fields of sedentary farmers; this provided food for the animals of the nomads and provided manure for the fields of the farmers. This system, which was always delicately balanced, began to break down as a result of increased population, desertification and changes in population lifestyle. Farming groups began to herd their own animals; as a result, they wanted to stop nomads from grazing on their lands. At the same time nomads tended to farm during the rainy season and increasingly sought land on which to farm. Clashes between farming and nomadic groups became a regular occurrence.
Two armed groups from the farming population started fighting the government security forces in February of 2003, complaining about their economic marginalization in Darfur and the lack of protection for the farming population. The government of Sudan exploited tensions in the region and backed militias from Arabic-speaking nomadic groups to carry out attacks on the villages of the sedentary, largely African farming groups. This violent response resulted in a breakdown of traditional reconciliation mechanisms and a hardening of tensions along ethnic lines.
The Conflict
People from sedentary groups formed a force called Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) in February of 2003. The SLA attacked government security forces, including the police and army. They also attacked towns, but only military causalities were reported. They said that this was in protest of what they perceived to be their marginalization and the failure of the government security forces to protect them from nomadic groups. They claimed that they were attacking the government rather than the nomadic groups as they thought the government was to blame, not inter-ethnic tensions.
By the end of March 2003 it was clear the government had decided it was going to solve the revolt by force. The government gave free rein to nomadic militias (later known as the Janjawid) to attack, burn and loot villages in rural areas and to kill villagers in order to drive them away from their homes. Another armed political group, calling itself the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) emerged shortly after, with demands broadly similar to the SLA.
In May 2006, AU-mediated peace negotiations between the government and Darfur rebel groups yielded tentative success. While it is not yet clear how palatable the agreement is to all actors involved, there remains a serious need to establish security in Darfur if the agreement has any hope, and that security rests in part on the agreement’s implementation. The conflict in Darfur has been further complicated by an increase in tensions between the governments of Sudan and Darfur-neighboring Chad, as each accuses the other of supporting rebel militias, and as the conflict between rebel militias and government forces regularly cross the border in both directions. Chadian rebels have made numerous attempts at overthrowing the N’Djamena government, and the insecurity in Eastern Chad has put hundreds of thousands of Darfuri refugees (and refugees from other countries) in the area at further risk.
The Damage
The conflict in Darfur has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including systematic and wide-scale murder, rape, abduction and displacement. At least 200,000 civilians have been killed by both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks, and over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced (including some 200,000 refugees in neighboring Chad). Civilians have become victims of numerous human rights violations, primarily at the hands of pro-government militias.
Women in Conflict
Much of the violence perpetrated in the Darfur conflict has resulted in grave human rights violations against women. These violations against women and girls include abductions, rape and forced displacement. The only real protection being provided for Darfuri women and girls has been from African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), despite significant restrictions on its capabilities.
To prevent further violence and human rights violations, AMIS requires increased funding and support, until the arrival of the proposed UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
