Darfur conflict

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Estimates of deaths in the conflict have ranged from 50,000 (World Health Organization, September 2004) to 450,000 (Dr. Eric Reeves, 28 April 2006). Most NGOs use 400,000, a figure from the Coalition for International Justice. See the first section for more information.

The conflict has been described by mass media as "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide"; the Bush Administration and U.S. Congress have declared it to be genocide, though the United Nations has declined to do so.

Although the large majority of resultant refugees are non-Baggara Africans fleeing Baggara Janjaweed attacks, [Breaking Darfur's stereotypes] (BBC) 13 October, 2004 there are also Baggara victims and non-Baggara perpetrators. In addition, both sides speak Arabic, are largely black in skin tone, and the distinction between "Arab" and "non-Arab" common in Western media is heavily disputed by many people, including the Sudanese government. Moreover, these labels have been criticized for describing the conflict as one of purely racial motivations, where some experts instead attribute the causes to competition between farmers and nomadic cattle-herders who compete for scarce resources.

While there seems to be a general consensus in the international community that ethnic groups have been targeted and that crimes against humanity have therefore occurred, there has been much debate about whether genocide has taken place. According to the BBC, article of May 7, 2006, "a UN investigation team sent to Sudan said that while war crimes had been committed, there had been no intent to commit genocide.” Nevertheless, several non-governmental organizations and representatives of the United States government choose to use the word "genocide" for what has taken place in Darfur. As yet, no international governmental body has chosen to use the term "genocide" to describe what is taking place in Darfur.

Quantifying the number of deaths

Accurate numbers of dead have been difficult to attain, partly because the Sudanese government routinely intimidates and censors journalists attempting to cover the conflict. [Sudan Annual Report 2004] Reporters Without Borders 2004

In September 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated there had been 50,000 deaths in Darfur since the beginning of the conflict, an 18-month period, mostly due to starvation. An updated estimate the following month put the number of deaths for the 6-month period from March to October 2004 due to starvation and disease at 70,000. These figures were criticized, because they only considered short periods and didn't include violent deaths. [How many have died in Darfur?] By Russell Smith (BBC) 16 February, 2005 A more recent British Parliamentary Report has estimated that over 300,000 people have died, [Darfur death toll may be 300,000, say UK lawmakers] (Reuters), 30 March, 2005 and others have estimated even more.

In March 2005, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland estimated that 10,000 were dying each month excluding deaths due to ethnic violence. [UN's Darfur death estimate soars] (BBC) 14 March, 2005 An estimated 2 million people had at that time been displaced from their homes, mostly seeking refuge in camps in Darfur's major towns. Two hundred thousand had fled to neighboring Chad.

In an April 2005 report, the most comprehensive statistical analysis to date, the Coalition for International Justice documented 400,000 deaths in Darfur since the conflict began, a figure most humanitarian and human rights groups now use. [New analysis claims Darfur deaths near 400,000] Coalition for International Justice, 21 April 2005 (PDF)

On 28 April 2006, Dr. Eric Reeves argued that "extant data, in aggregate, strongly suggest that total excess mortality in Darfur, over the course of more than three years of deadly conflict, now significantly exceeds 450,000," but this has not been independently verified. [Quantifying Genocide in Darfur] Dr. Eric Reeves, 28 April 2006

Other estimates

[Darfur: Counting the Deaths] This report estimates the number of persons who have died in Darfur between September 2003 and January 2005. The report was prepared by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters.

Origins of the conflict

The conflict concerns the rebel forces of Darfur which the Sudan government has labled as insurgents and the government-controlled Janjaweed.

There has been a series of military dictatorships since 1958, and following independence in 1956, the Sudanese government acquired a strong Arab character. The First Sudanese Civil War, between the Muslim government and the mostly non-Muslim population of the southern Sudan, began in 1955 and ended with the 1972 Addis Ababa Accords. In 1983, the Second Sudanese Civil War ensued when the president declared Sharia law in the south. Peace conferences in 2005 ended the 21-year civil war and produced an agreement under which state revenues — oil money in particular — would be shared between the government and the southern rebel groups.

In early 2003, two local rebel groups — the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) — accused the government of oppressing non-Arabs in favor of Arabs. The SLM is generally associated with the Fur and Masalit, while the JEM is associated with the Zaghawa of the northern half of Darfur.

Hassan al-Turabi was put in jail in March 2004 in connection with an alleged coup plot linked with JEM, [Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict] (BBC) 7 May, 2006 [Fears for Sudan Islamist's health] (BBC) 13 July, 2004 but denies supporting JEM. [Al-Turabi denies stirring Darfur conflict] (Al-Jazeera) 31 December 2003 However, al-Turabi blames the government for "aggravating the situation." The government dropped charges on December 3, 2004...

American officials labeling the conflict \"genocide\"

In addition to the Bush Administration, many others, such as Senator John Kerry, also have denounced the conflict as a genocide. [Chad/Sudan: A Question of Genocide] by Amy Costello (PBS Frontline) 16 September, 2004 In July of 2004, the U.S. Congress also unanimously declared the actions of the Sudanese government and their proxy militias officially as a "genocide". This has led to speculation of an anticipated international involvement, such as United Nations peacekeeping forces being deployed to Darfur, and possible International Police involvement. [U.N.: Darfur Needs Strong Protection Force] Troops Must Have Mandate and Means to Defend Civilians. Human Rights Watch. New York, April 21, 2006

Although African Union military forces are present, they have been largely ineffective, and lack the logistical support and expertise to be an effective deterrent. Because of this, there have been international calls for Western European military forces under the United Nations to be deployed to Darfur, as well as American military forces who also would fall under the United Nations, to help stabilize the country. [An Analysis of Select Companies’ Operations in Sudan:. A Resource for Divestment] (.pdf) by The Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic and The Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Project Yale Law School. December 13, 2005 (Updated 24 February, 2006)

Security Council members hesitate in responding, but pass resolution

The UN, prior to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, called the Darfur conflict the world's worst current humanitarian crisis #redirect [[Template:Fact]]. But, intervention by the UN is unlikely as the governments of key members of the Security Council state they are pragmatically and ideologically constrained in their ability to respond to the conflict. The Russian government, with its weakened economy, struggles to meet its internal security dilemmas regarding its persistent border conflicts. United States force deployments in Iraq and elsewhere make intervention a difficult proposition. The United States also faces difficulty stemming from its commitment to the peace process ending the Second Sudanese Civil War, which it fears may be derailed. Finally, setting up No-Fly Zones are logistically difficult considering the remoteness of Darfur, the lack of infrastructure in potential airbase neighbors, and the issue of airspace rights for flyovers to Darfur from other neighbors.

Moreover, in both of these nations, along with Britain and France, a strong lobby exists opposed to intervention in countries whose internal strife is not clearly related to the nation's own interest (America and France having suffered demoralizing losses in Vietnam, as well as in Somalia and Algeria, respectively). The lack of capable foreign peacekeepers during the Rwanda and Liberia crises is a more recent example.

Those who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the region on all sides of the conflict will most likely be held accountable #redirect [[Template:Fact]]. However, it is currently undecided whether prosecution will commence via the International Criminal Court, or via a provisional tribunal, such as the one used after the ethnic conflicts in Rwanda and in the Balkans. The Bush administration currently opposes the ICC option and supports the special tribunal mechanism.

Controversies

Flounders suggests that U.S. promotion of human rights in Darfur is simply a red herring —part of a political campaign to distract the American public from the ongoing humanitarian crisis and war crimes in its prosecution of the Iraq War —an increasingly difficult political issue for the United States. The promoted outward campaign of concern for Darfur refugees appears, according to Flounders, designed to make U.S. foreing policy appear to be more humanitarian than it actually is. Flounders notes a report in The Jerusalem Post which noted that "Zionist"[sic] groups had organized a coalition of leftist activism, and that these were endorsed by U.S. President George W. Bush himself. Flounders suggests Israeli PAC support is based in mutual interests regarding Iraq and War on Terrorism, where Darfur is simply a convenient avenue for misdirecting public attention and coordinated humanitarian activism away from Iraq.

Course of the conflict

In 2004, Chad brokered negotiations in N'Djamena, leading to the April 8 Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement between the Sudanese government and JEM and SLM. A group splintered from the JEM in April — the National Movement for Reform and Development — which did not participate in the April cease-fire talks or agreement. Janjaweed and rebel attacks have continued since the ceasefire. The African Union (AU) formed a Ceasefire Commission (CFC) to monitor observance of the April 8th ceasefire.

A United Nations observer team reported that non-Arab villages were singled out while Arab villages were left untouched:

The 23 Fur villages in the Shattaya Administrative Unit have been completely depopulated, looted and burnt to the ground (the team observed several such sites driving through the area for two days). Meanwhile, dotted alongside these charred locations are unharmed, populated and functioning Arab settlements. In some locations, the distance between a destroyed Fur village and an Arab village is less than 500 meters. (UN Interagency Report cited below, 25 April 2004)

The scale of the crisis has led to warnings of an imminent disaster, with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warning that the risk of genocide is frighteningly real in Darfur. The scale of the Janjaweed campaign has led to comparisons with the Rwandan Genocide, a parallel hotly denied by the Sudanese government. Independent observers have noted that the tactics, which include dismemberment and killing of noncombatants and even young children and babies, are more akin to the ethnic cleansing used in the Yugoslav Wars but have warned that the region's remoteness means that hundreds of thousands are effectively cut off from aid. The Brussels-based International Crisis Group has reported that over 350,000 people could potentially die as a result of starvation and disease. ['Dozens killed' in Sudan attack] (BBC) 24 May, 2004 The Genocide Intervention Network has been raising private donations to fund peacekeepers from the African Union in Darfur.

Timeline

July 2004

The African Union and European Union have sent monitors [Annan warns of Sudan catastrophe] (BBC) 6 July, 2004 (as of 5 July 2004) to observe the cease-fire signed on 8 April 2004; [Sudan government and rebels sign Darfur cease-fire] by Abakar Saleh, The European - Sudanese Public Affairs Council, 8 April, 2004 however, the Janjaweed's attacks have not stopped, as noted by the United States [Sudan 'breaking Darfur ceasefire'] (BBC) 13 April, 2004 and more recently Human Rights Watch. [Darfur: New Atrocities Disprove Khartoum’s Claims], Human Rights Watch 11 August, 2004

According to the BBC in July, [France opposes UN Sudan sanctions] (BBC) 8 July, 2004 analysts estimate that at least 15,000 soldiers would be needed to put an end to the conflict.

On 23 July, 2004, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed a joint resolution declaring the armed conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur to be genocide and calling on the Bush administration to lead an international effort to put a stop to it.

On 30 July, the United Nations gave the Sudanese government 30 days to disarm and bring to justice the Janjaweed, in UN Security Council Resolution 1556; if this deadline is not met in 30 days, it "expresses its intention to consider" sanctions. [UN resolution on Darfur: Full text] (BBC) 30 July, 2004 The Arab League asked for a longer term and warned that Sudan must not become another Iraq. Resolution 1556 also imposed an arms embargo on the Janjaweed and other militia. [DFID Information note on the humanitarian situation i Darfur, Sudan October 2004] British Embassy, Khartoum, October 2004

From the Sudanese government's point of view, the conflict is simply a skirmish. The Sudanese president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, said, "The international concern over Darfur is actually a targeting of the Islamic state in Sudan." Sudan has warned Britain and the United States not to interfere in the internal affairs of the East African country saying it will reject any military aid, while asking for logistic support.

August 2004

The UN's 30 day deadline expired on August 29, after which the Secretary General reported on the state of the conflict. According to him, the situation "has resulted in some improvements on the ground but remains limited overall". In particular, he notes that the Janjaweed militias remain armed and continue to attack civilians (contrary to Resolution 1556), and militia disarmament has been limited to a "planned" 30% reduction in one particular militia, the Popular Defense Forces. He also notes that the Sudanese government's commitments regarding their own armed forces have been only partially implemented, with refugees reporting several attacks involving government forces. [Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraphs 6 and 13 through 16 of Security Council Resolution 1556 (2004)] (.pdf) United Nations Security Council Draft 30 August, 2004 He concludes that:

Stopping attacks against civilians and ensuring their protection is the responsibility of the Government of Sudan. The Government has not met this obligation fully, despite the commitments it has made and its obligations under resolution 1556 (2004). Attacks against civilians are continuing and the vast majority of armed militias has not been disarmed. Similarly, no concrete steps have been taken to bring to justice or even identify any of the militia leaders or the perpetrators of these attacks, allowing the violations of human rights and the basic laws of war to continue in a climate of impunity. After 18 months of conflict and 30 days after the adoption of resolution 1556 (2004), the Government of Sudan has not been able to resolve the crisis in Darfur, and has not met some of the core commitments it has made.

September 2004

On September 9, 2004, then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell declared to the US Senate that genocide was occurring in Darfur, for which he blamed the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed. This position was strongly rejected by the Sudanese foreign affairs minister, Najib Abdul Wahab. The United Nations, like the African Union and European Union, have not declared the Darfur conflict to be an act of genocide. If it does constitute an act of genocide, international law is considered to allow other countries to intervene.

Also on September 9, 2004, the US put forward a UN draft resolution threatening Sudan with sanctions on its oil industry. This was adopted, in modified form, on September 18, 2004 as Resolution 1564 (see below.)

On September 13, 2004, WHO published a Darfur mortality survey, which was the first reliable indicator about deaths in Darfur. It reported that 6,000–10,000 people were dying each month in Darfur. Many were related to diarrhoea, but the most significant cause of death was violent death for those aged 15–49. The Darfur mortality rates were significantly higher than the emergency threshold, and were from 3 to 6 times higher than the normal African death rates.

On September 18, 2004, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1564, pressuring the Sudanese government to act urgently to improve the situation by threatening the possibility of oil sanctions in the event of continued noncompliance with Resolution 1556 or refusal to accept the expansion of African Union peacekeepers. [Security Council declares intention to consider sanctions to obtain Sudan's full compliance with security, disarmament obligations on Darfur] Adopting Resolution 1564 (2004) by Vote of 11-0-4, Calls on Secretary-General to Set Up Commission of Inquiry to Investigate Human Rights Violations. Press Release SC/8191, Security Council 5040th Meeting (PM), 18 September, 2004 Resolution 1564 also established an International Commission of Inquiry to look into human rights violations, and to determine whether genocide was occurring. In the wake of this resolution, the peacekeeper force was to be expanded to 4,500 troops. [Darfur troops to arrive week late] (BBC) 17 October, 2004

On September 30, 2004, during the first of three U.S. presidential debates, Jim Lehrer, the moderator, asked why neither candidate had discussed committing troops to Darfur. Senator John Kerry replied that "one of the reasons we can't do it is we're overextended," but agreed that he'd use American forces "to some degree to coalesce the African Union." President Bush cited aid committed to the region and agreed that action should be taken through the African Union. Both candidates agreed that what was happening in Darfur was genocide. [2004 U.S. Presidential Debate, Question 15:] (WikiSource Transcript), 30 September, 2004

October 2004

On October 15 2004 World Health Organization official David Nabarro estimated that 70,000 people had died of disease and malnutrition in Darfur since March.

On October 17, 2004 in a meeting between leaders of Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria and Chad, the idea of foreign intervention was rejected. They stated that they believe it to be a purely African matter. Egyptian presidency spokesman Magued Abdel Fattah said that the international community should "provide Sudan with assistance to allow it to fulfil its obligations under UN resolutions (on Darfur) rather than putting pressure on it and issuing threats."

The African Union had expected to have 3,000 additional troops in place in the region sometime in November, but cited lack of funds and 'logistical difficulties' in delaying this deployment, waiting on the AU's Peace and Security Council to meet on October 20 and decide on the expanded duties and numbers of the force. It was decided that these AU troops, from both Nigeria and Rwanda, will be deployed by October 30.

The United Nations pledged $100 million dollars to support the force, about half of the $221 million cost to keep them deployed for a year. The European Union mobilised the remainder, an additional EUR 80 million on October 26 from their African Peace Facility to support the deployment and operations of the 3144-strong AU observer mission which will monitor the implementation of the cease-fire agreement. [EU mobilises an additional € 80 million from African Peace Facility to support enlarged African Union observer mission in Darfur, Sudan] European Union Press release IP/04/1306, 26 October, 2004

Peace talks between Sudan and Darfur rebels were scheduled to resume on October 21 in Abuja, Nigeria. However, rebels showed up late and the talks did not begin until October 25. Two more rebel groups now want in on the negotiations, and an existing cease-fire agreement is considered shaky. The talks are still in progress, but a humanitarian agreement is expected to be hammered out during the course of the talks.

November 2004

On November 2 the United Nations reports that Sudanese troops have raided the Abu Sharif and Otash refugee camps near Nyala in Darfur, moving a number of inhabitants and denying aid agencies access to the remaining inhabitants inside. [Sudan army 'forcing out refugees'] (BBC) 3 November, 2004 Meanwhile, the Abuja talks continued, with attempts made to agree on a no-fly zone over Darfur in addition to a truce on land and a disarmament of the militias. [Sudan talks halt over no-fly zone] (BBC) 5 November, 2004

A third UN resolution is being considered, calling for a speedy end to the conflict. [Darfur peace push in new UN text] (BBC) 6 November, 2004

On November 9 the Sudanese government and the two leading rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), signed two accords aimed toward short-term progress in resolving the Darfur conflict. The first accord established a no-fly zone over rebel-controlled areas of Darfur—a measure designed to end the Sudanese military's bombing of rebel villages in the region. The second accord granted international humanitarian aid agencies unrestricted access to the Darfur region. The accords were the product of African Union sponsored peace talks in Abuja that began October 25. Delegates stated that a later round of negotiations expected to begin in mid-December would work on a longer-term political accord. The talks may have produced the breakthrough accords because of a looming meeting of the UN Security Council, which many expected would have imposed oil sanctions on the Sudanese government if progress had not been made. ['Breakthrough' deal for Darf] (BBC) 9 November, 2004 [Sudan, Rebels Reach Accord On Darfur] — Government Approves No-Fly Zone, Access to Aid. By Emily Wax, Washington Post, Nyala, Sudan, 9 November, 2004

Despite the November 9 accords, violence in Sudan continued. On November 10—one day after the accords—the Sudanese military conducted attacks on Darfur refugee villages in plain sight of UN and African Union observers. [Eyewitness: Terror in Darfur] (BBC) 10 November, 2004 [After Accord, Sudan Camp Raided] — Shelters Reportedly Destroyed and Residents Beaten. By Emily Wax, Washington Post, Old Al-Jeer Sureaf, Sudan, 10 November, 2004 On November 22, alleging that Janjaweed members had refused to pay for livestock in the town market of Tawila in Northern Darfur, rebels attacked the town's government-controlled police stations. The Sudanese military retaliated on November 23 by bombing the town. [Violence Fractures Cease-Fire In Sudan] — Darfur Town Bombed Following Rebel Attacks. By Emily Wax, Washington Post, Khartoum, 23 November, 2004

December 2004

January 2005

February 2005

March 2005

On March 7, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan spoke to the UN Security Council requesting that the peacekeeping force in Darfur be increased to support the 2000 African Union troops already deployed. [Annan Urges Security Council to Take Action on Darfur] By Barbara Schoetzau, Voice of America, New York, 7 March, 2004 A resolution for the deployment of an additional 10,000 peacekeepers has been delayed by the failure of the Security Council to agree on the mechanism to be used to try war criminals and the application and extent of sanctions. [Stalemate delays Sudan peacekeeping troops] — US, Europe disagree over how war crimes should be prosecuted. By Farah Stockman, Boston Globe, 17 March, 2005 A number of Security Council members want war criminals to be tried by the International Criminal Court; the United States refused, however, to support that proposition. An African-run tribunal has been proposed as a countermeasure, and proposals have been made for trials to be held in Tanzania and Nigeria. The current resolution has also been criticized, as it is unclear as to whether the peacekeepers will be deployed to Darfur or to monitor peace in the south of Sudan. On March 24 a peacekeeping force was approved to monitor peace in the south of Sudan, however the Security Council still remains deadlocked over Darfur. [UN to Send 10,000 Peacekeepers to Southern Sudan] By Peter Heinlein, Voice of America, United Nations, 25 March, 2005

On March 29 Security Council Resolution 1591 was passed 11–0. [link] The Resolution strengthened the arms embargo and imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on those deemed responsible for the atrocities in Darfur. It was agreed that war criminals will be tried by the International Criminal Court. [SUDAN: UN envoy tours Darfur; ICC receives list of war-crimes suspects] From Integrated Regional Information Networks via Reuters, Nairobi, 5 April, 2005

The United Nations released a new estimate of 180,000 who have died as a result of illness and malnutrition in the 18 months of the conflict. It has not attempted to estimate the number of violence-related deaths.

April 2005

The sealed list, presented to the International Criminal Court, was drawn up following an investigation by the UN into claims of killings, torture and rape committed by Government forces and militias in the Darfur region. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, backed by huge protests against the UN in Sudan's capital of Khartoum, snubbed the UN resolution passed on March 29 to bring the suspects to trial before the court, adding that he "shall never hand any Sudanese national to a foreign court."

On April 29 it was reported [Official Pariah Sudan Valuable to America’s War on Terrorism] — Despite once harboring Bin Laden, Khartoum regime has supplied key intelligence, officials say. Global Policy Forum. By Ken Silverstein, Los Angeles Times, 29 April, 2005 that the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush had forged a "close intelligence partnership" with the Sudanese government despite their presence on the U.S. list of state sponsors of international terrorism and the declaration of genocide in Darfur by that administration's former Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

May 2005

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has somewhat championed the cause of African unity. This sentiment has led him to invite the leaders of Sudan, Nigeria, Egypt, Chad and Eritrea to a summit in Tripoli regarding the conflict in Darfur.

The two main rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement, announced they wanted to resume peace talks. Previous negotiations were to be disbanded in favor of new dialogue hoping to solve their differences.

It seems that a possible hinge of the negotiations is compliance or refusal of handing over war crime suspects to organizations such as the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Medecins Sans Frontieres doctor Paul Foreman was arrested by Sudanese authorities over the publication of a report detailing hundreds of rapes in Darfur. [MSF chief arrested for Darfur report] RTE News, 30 May, 2005

Claims began to surface that the Bush administration's noticeable toning down of its description of the situation in Sudan - it stopped calling the Darfur conflict a genocide, and claimed that United Nations death toll estimates may be too high - was due to increased co-operation from Sudanese officials towards the War on Terrorism. The claim asserted that Major General Salah Abdallah Gosh who is said to have been involved in training the Janjaweed, was flown to Washington for high-level talks with his United States counterparts, related to global terrorism.

June 2005

The International Criminal Court announces an investigation into crimes against humanity related to the conflict that is taking place in Darfur.

July 2005

On July 10, Ex-rebel leader John Garang was sworn in as Sudan's vice-president. [Sudan ex-rebel joins government] (BBC) 10 July, 2005 A new constitution was adopted, and all parties should be represented more fairly. The United States Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick has applauded the political changes and the improving security. Kofi Annan and South African President Thabo Mbeki watched the ceremony.

August 2005

The long-term implications of Garang's death are still unclear; and, despite the recently improved security, talks between the various rebels in the Darfur region are going slowly, with no sight of a final peace agreement.

September 2005

October 2005

On October 9, a rebel group abducted 18 members of an African Union peacekeeping team, but released most of them after negotiations. [Darfur rebels release AU hostages] (BBC) 10 October, 2005 [Darfur Rebels Abduct African Union Team] Reuters, Khartoum, 9 October, 2005

Following an increase in fighting in the region, on October 13 the UN announced that it will withdraw all non-essential staff from Darfur. West Darfur is reportedly too dangerous for aid-agencies to operate. [UN staff withdrawn from Darfur] By Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Khartoum, 13 October, 2005

November 2005

The seventh round of peace talks began on November 21.

December 2005

On December 24th, The Congress of the United States rejected Condoleezza Rice's request to restore $50 million in aid to the African Union that human rights groups say had been cut from the budget in November.

January 2006

February 2006

April 2006

May 2006

June 2006

On June 19, 2006, President al-Bashir insisted that he would prevent a UN peacekeeping force from entering Sudan. He stated:

"I swear that there will not be any international military intervention in Darfur as long as I am in power. Sudan, which was the first country south of the Sahara to gain independence, cannot now be the first country to be recolonized."

"It is clear that there is a purpose behind the heavy propaganda and media campaigns.... If we return to the last demonstrations in the United States, and the groups that organized the demonstrations, we find that they are all Jewish organizations."

On June 25, 2006, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jamal Ibrahim announced the imposing of a partial ban on UN operations in Darfur, after accusing the UN of violating an agreement on its mandate by giving the rebel leader Suleiman Adam Jamous a helicopter ride.

July 2006

References

See also

• History of Sudan, for a broader view of the events that have caused the current conflict
• Chad-Sudan conflict

External links

• Directories
• *[Darfur Info] from the University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center
• *[ReliefWeb Sudan] List of organizations working in Sudan, UNOCHA

• Humanitarian
• *[Amnesty International Sudan Crisis]
• *[Crimes of War] news with background analysis
• *[link] Flash game created to raise awareness of the conflict
• *[Darfur: A Genocide We Can Stop]
• *[Canadian Students for Darfur]
• *[Human Rights Watch Darfur]
• *[US Institute of Peace Overcoming Obstacles to Humanitarian Assistance in Darfur]
• *[Kids for World Health]

• Awareness
• *["The Best Hope for Peace in Darfur"] recorded on April 19, 2006 at [The New York Society for Ethical Culture], mp3 format
• *[Hold Your Breath for Darfur]
• *[Help Darfur Now]
• *[American Jewish World Service: Darfur Action Campaign]
• *[Bystanders to Genocide]
• *[Committe on Conscience: Student Activities & Awareness] USHMM
• *[Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy]
• *[Darfur Awareness Store]
• *[Dunk for Darfur]
• *[Genocide Intervention Network]
• *[Operation Sudan]
• *[Save Darfur Coalition]
• *[Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND)]
• *[STAND Canada]
• *[Stop Genocide Now]
• *[Sudan Grassroots Activism Center]
• *[Support American Intervention Now (SAIN): Darfur]
• *[University of California Divestment Sudan]

• News and background information
• *[BBC News In Depth - Sudan: A Nation Divided] with [Q&A on the Darfur conflict]
• *[Weekly Darfur News Briefs] from the Genocide Intervention Network
• *[CBC Indepth: Sudan]
• *[Guardian Unlimited Special Report: Sudan]
• *[PBS The NewsHour: Crisis in Sudan]
• * [Yahoo! News Full Coverage: Sudan]
• * [JURIST Darfur - Legal News Archive]
• * [Coalition for Darfur] news on Darfur and related topics
• * [United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Voices on Genocide Prevention Podcast] stay up-to-date on the crisis in Darfur and the continuing challenge or preventing and responding to genocide
• * [Survivors United] news and information about the ongoing genocide in Darfur
• * [Sudan Reeves] Sudan research, analysis, and advocacy
• *[London Review of Books Counter-Insurgency on the Cheap] historical background (including the 80's) August 5, 2004
• *[The Owl Journal Conflict in Darfur: An(other) Unnecessary War?] relates conflict in Darfur to the IGAD Peace Process and International Engagement in Sudan
• *[The Huffington Post Witness to Darfur] June 2005 five-part series by Jane Wells
• *[Sleepless in Sudan] blog from a dazed and confused aid worker in Darfur
• *[Ryan Spencer Reed] photojournalist's account with images of Darfur's displacement
• *[Insight News TV Living with Refugees]
• *[All about Darfur, Organizations, Ways to Help, and MORE!]]]
• * [Sudan Tribune Tragedy in Darfur] on understanding and ending the horror
• * [Devastatingly Obvious: Genocide in Sudan Continues Unabashed]
• * [Asil] comments on Security Council Resolution 1556
• * [Sudan Emancipation & Preservation Network (SEPNet)]
• * [Aljazeera ICC given Darfur suspect names]
• *[IFEX Monitoring Media Censorship in Sudan]
• *[New York Times New No. 2 in Sudan, an Ex-Rebel Leader, Dies in Copter Crash]
• *[Aljazeera Garang: Rebel Leader to Vice President]
• *[Diplomacy Monitor-Sudan]

• Political and governmental
• *[African Union The Situation in the Darfur Region of Sudan]
• *[UN News Centre Darfur: A Humanitarian Crisis]
• *[UN Sudan Information Gateway]
• *[Report of OHCHR mission to Chad (5–15 April 2004)] (PDF, 5.6 MB)
• * [Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the United Nations Secretary-General] (PDF), United Nations, 25 January 2005
• * [Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the United Nations Secretary-General summary], 25 January 2005
• *[USAID Sudan]
• *[USAID death toll estimates] (PDF)
• *[USAID Map of destroyed villages]
• *[BBC News Sudan atrocities strain US relations]
• *[BBC News UN refused access to Darfur to investigate atrocities] Dec 2005

• Maps
• *[Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection Sudan and Darfur] maps and satellite imagery
• *[GlobalSecurity.org Darfur Satellite Imagery]

• Parties to the conflict
• *[Sudan Embassy] in the US
• *[Sudan Justice and Equality Movement]

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