1. Darfur

2. Map of Sudan showing location of Darfur

3. Setting the scene: Sudan
Population: 39 million (2007)
Capital: Khartoum
Ethnic groups: 52% Black, 39% Arab, 6% Beja (nomadic tribesmen), 4% others
Major religions: Islam (mainly Sunni in the north); indigenous beliefs; mostly Christian in the south (some Christians in Khartoum)
Internal conflict: North–South war raged from 1985 to the present

4. Setting the scene: Darfur
Darfur, meaning ‘land of the Fur’, is the size of France, or Texas
It is bordered by Chad, Libya and the Central African Republic
The north is mostly sandy desert, whereas the south is mostly bush forest
Population: approximately 6.5 million (4 million non-Arabs, 2.5 million Arabs)
Non-Arab African tribes: Fur, Zaghawa, Masalit (3 largest tribes). Mainly settled farmers who have animals
Arabs: mainly nomadic herders

5. Living in Darfur
Darfurians have developed complex systems to survive in these difficult conditions:
All families own plots of land and cultivate crops
Families store sacks of grains and seeds to survive during periods of drought
People communally own livestock, which provide food and transportation and can also be used as disposable income
The markets serve as a place to buy and trade goods

6. Roots of the conflict Long history of neglect by Khartoum
Ruling elite in Khartoum feel that Arabs are racially and culturally superior to non-Arabs
Famine in 1984–85 — 95,000 died
Dwindling natural resources — decreased rainfall, desertification, less area for planting and grazing
Local groups began arming themselves: the non-Arab groups (SLA and JEM); Arab groups (Janjaweed)

7. Allegations made
The Janjaweed have been actively supported by the Khartoum government
There have been aerial bombings with planes and helicopters; heavy shelling by tanks and other artillery; ground attacks with small arms on foot, on camels and on horseback; the bulldozing and burning of villages; arrests and extrajudicial execution; kidnapping, torture and rape
The Sudanese government has supported genocide

8. Outcomes of the conflict
300,000 dead
Up to 90% of non-Arab villages destroyed
Over 2 million displaced and homeless
Hundreds of thousands at risk of disease and malnutrition
Thousands live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or refugee camps in Chad
More than 3.5 million people are reliant on international aid for survival

9. Genocide?
In 1948 the United Nations passed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which vowed to both prevent and punish genocide (it entered into force in 1951)
Article II: Genocide means any act committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group
Starvation or subsistence diet
Systematically expelling people from their homes
Withholding sufficient living accommodations
Reducing essential medical services below the minimum requirement
Rape
Conditions that may constitute genocide under Article II:
All of these are said to be occurring in Darfur

10. The situation in 2008 Darfur Peace Agreement signed in May 2006
Approximately 8,000 UN/African Union (AU) peacekeepers on the ground
An acute shortage of helicopters
Security situation deteriorating — aid groups evacuating
Rebel groups have fractured
Ongoing investigation of crimes by the ICC — warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese president for genocide

11. For the AQA examination
Darfur is a major international conflict. You should identify the social, economic and environmental issues associated with this conflict