 |
|
ABOUT
DARFUR |
 |
|
|
| |
 |
Darfur is a region in the west of Sudan
with a population of about 7 million. Since 2003, the
government in Khartoum and its proxy militia, known as
janjaweed, have carried out a ruthless war against the
civilian population of Darfur. The United Nations has
described the situation in Darfur as “the worst
humanitarian crisis in the world today,” and the Bush
administration has called it genocide. At least 400,000
people have been killed, and more than 2 million innocent
civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live
in squalor in camps in Sudan or in neighboring Chad. More
than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely
reliant on international aid for survival. |
| |
Council on Foreign Relations' multimedia
,interactive
Crisis Guide on Darfur |
|
|
In response to intense international pressure, the
government in Khartoum signed the Darfur Peace Agreement
with one of the Darfur rebel groups in May of 2006. Since
then, however, both sides have routinely ignored all
deadlines, and the violence has only escalated. More
recently, humanitarian aid groups have become targets, with
the result that many groups find themselves forced to leave
for their own security. The United Nations now describes the
situation as “grave and deteriorating.” If the violence is
not stopped, the United Nations is predicting a “descent
into chaos,” with as many as 100,000 deaths a month.
Recognizing the severity of this crisis, the United Nations
passed Resolution 1769 last August authorizing the
deployment of 26,000 peacekeeping troops to protect the
people of Darfur. Despite many promises to the contrary, the
government in Khartoum continues to block deployment of
these troops. The result is that violence in Darfur rages on
unchecked, with government-backed militias still attacking
civilian populations with impunity.
|
|
