The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) launched attacks against the government of Sudan, citing political marginalization and underdevelopment of Darfur's non-Arab populations. The government of President Omar al-Bashir responded by arming and coordinating with Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, who carried out widespread attacks on Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa civilian communities.
The campaign produced large-scale killings, sexual violence, village burnings, and forced displacement. UN agencies have estimated hundreds of thousands of deaths from violence, disease, and starvation, and millions displaced internally or into eastern Chad. In September 2004, then–US Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that genocide had occurred in Darfur, the first such formal designation by a sitting US administration during an ongoing conflict.
International responses included:
- UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005), which referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court — the first ICC referral by the Council.
- AMIS, the African Union Mission in Sudan, deployed from 2004, succeeded in 2007 by the hybrid UNAMID mission authorized under Resolution 1769; UNAMID's mandate ended on 31 December 2020.
- ICC arrest warrants against Sudanese officials, including two warrants against al-Bashir (2009 and 2010) on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The Darfur Peace Agreement (Abuja, 2006) and the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (2011) achieved only partial buy-in from rebel factions. After al-Bashir's removal in April 2019, the transitional government signed the Juba Peace Agreement in October 2020 with several armed groups. Violence reignited dramatically in 2023 when fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces — the RSF being the direct successor to the Janjaweed — spread into Darfur, producing renewed ethnically targeted attacks, particularly against the Masalit in West Darfur.
Example
In March 2009, the International Criminal Court issued its first arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Darfur conflict.
Frequently asked questions
The United States declared it a genocide in September 2004 under Secretary Colin Powell. A UN Commission of Inquiry in 2005 found crimes against humanity and war crimes but did not conclude genocidal intent at the state level. The ICC later added genocide charges against al-Bashir in 2010.
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