Genocide in Darfur

In the ongoing genocide, African farmers and others in Darfur are being displaced and murdered at the hands of the Janjaweed, a government-supported militia recruited from local Arab tribes. Civilians have become victims of human rights violations, primarily at the hands of the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed. Despite international outrage and demands around the globe to end the brutality, the deadly conflict continues.

Darfur remains one of the world's worst human rights and humanitarian catastrophes. Since 2003, Darfur, western Sudan, has been ravage by killings, torture, destruction and rape. The genocide in Darfur has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people. More than one hundred people continue to die every day and five thousand die every month. The Sudanese government disputes these estimates and denies any connection with the Janjaweed.

Americans have a particularly important role to play in supporting peace in Darfur. The U.S. government has been proactive in speaking out in support of the people of Darfur, but there is still much work that needs to be done. The United States and international governments have yet to take the actions needed to end this genocide.

Long-term peace in Darfur requires that the government of Sudan, the Janjaweed militia forces and the rebel groups of Darfur find a way to resolve their political and economic disputes. The international community managed to broker a peace deal in May 2006, but violence in Darfur actually increased in the wake of this deal. Thousands of innocent civilians continue to die from murder, disease and starvation every month. Today, millions of displaced civilians living in refugee camps are in need of international support as the violence continues.

The attacks by the Janjaweed have continued for more than two and half years. Sudan is Africa's largest country, roughly half the size of the continental United States. The western Darfur region is the size of France. Yet only 7,000 African Union troops have been deployed to try and keep the peace in the region, and even those troops lack the mandate they need to adequately protect those at risk of rape or death.

Six separate rounds of peace talks have failed to halt the attacks. Now, recent attacks have even targeted international humanitarian aid workers, raising the serious possibility that aid workers will have to be withdrawn and thousands will be denied the aid supplies they desperately need.