Background
Darfur is a region of Sudan, a country in Africa. The ethnic majority of the population is Arab and predominantly Muslim. Religion and economic differences have caused tension, leading to rebel armies fighting against the government. The war in Darfur began in 2003 when the government army, called Janjaweed, fought rebel militias, which resulted in “an estimated 200,000 civilians” casualties from the violence, disease and starvation. The Janjaweed militia is made up of Arabs that have been armed by the government to eradicate the African population.
War Crimes
This war has been officially recognized as a genocide (the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race). The Sudanese government and Janjaweed soldiers have all been charged with genocide (deliberately inflicting on each target group conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction), war crimes ( attacks against the civilian population; destruction of property; rape; pillaging; and outrage upon personal dignity; violence to life and person), and crimes against humanity (murder; persecution; forcible transfer of population; rape; inhumane acts; imprisonment or severe deprivation of liberty; torture; extermination; and torture).
Today
Sudan had been in conflict since 2003, up until 2023. Today there is no official war but tensions are still high and there is a risk of another genocide but is ignored. Darfur is still dangerous with high crime rates such as trafficking and murder. The effects of the wars are still felt today with a famine declared in Darfur and military trucks blocking humanitarian aid. While the media focuses on Ukraine and Israel the conditions worsen in Darfur. The catastrophic condition in Darfur surpasses Ukraine and Israel, so why is Darfur getting less media coverage? The reason is simple: it lacks the same geopolitical influence as Israel and Ukraine. The U.S. trades with Israel and they don’t want communism to spread in Ukraine. The government and media aren’t interested in human life, only what affects them.