It has been suggested that this article should be split into a new article titled Timeline of the War in Darfur. (discuss) (November 2023)
Genocidal conflict in Southwestern Sudan
"Situation in Darfur" redirects here. For the criminal investigation by the International Criminal Court, see International Criminal Court investigation in Darfur.
Further information: Darfur genocide
Not to be confused with Invasion of Darfur or War in Sudan (2023–present).
War in Darfur
Part of Sudanese Civil Wars
Military situation in Sudan on 6 June 2016. (Darfur on the far left)
Under control of the Sudanese Government and allies
Under control of the Sudan Revolutionary Front and allies
Under control of the Sudanese Awakening Revolutionary Council
For a more detailed map of the current military situation in Sudan, see here.
Date
26 February 2003 – 31 August 2020 (16 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Darfur, Sudan
Result
Stalemate
Intertwined with the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile (Until 2020)
Comprehensive peace agreement signed with most rebel groups
Ahmed Diraige Khalil Ibrahim † Gibril Ibrahim Abdul Wahid al Nur (SLA-AW) Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM)
Musa Hilal (POW)[16] (SARC)
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Omar al-Bashir (until April 2019)[17] Musa Hilal (until 2017) Hamid Dawai Ali Kushayb Ahmed Haroun (until April 2019)[18][19] Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
Mohammed Nour Abdelkerim[c]
Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi[20]
Frank Mushyo Kamanzi[21]
Units involved
SLA
SLA-AW[16]
SLA-MM[16]
SLA-Second Revolution[22]
SLA-Unity[23]
JEM
Gibril Ibrahim faction
Abdallah Bishir Jali faction[23]
Sudanese Armed Forces
Popular Defence Forces (until April 2019)[24]
Rapid Support Forces
No specific units
Strength
SRF: 60,000
JEM: 35,000[25]
SAF: 109,300[d]
RSF: 17,500[26]
Janjaweed: <25,000
UNAMID: 15,845 soldiers and 3,403 police officers[28]
Casualties and losses
Unknown
Unknown
235 killed as of 31 August 2016[29]
Total killed:
300,000 (UN estimate)
10,000 (Sudanese government estimate)[30]
Total displaced:
2,850,000–3,000,000[31] (UN estimate) 450,000 (Sudanese government estimate)
^ Known as the National Redemption Front prior to 2011.
^Signed the Doha Darfur Peace Agreement in 2011.[1]
^Although he was a Chadian rebel leader and he was also the head of an insurgent militia, Mohammed Nour Abdelkerim was so close to the Sudanese Armed Forces that he enlisted as an officer in the Popular Defence Forces, while his troops were temporarily organized as a regular pro-government militia. He and his militia left Sudanese service in 2005 in order to take part in the Chadian Civil War (2005–2010).[8]
^Number does not represent the number of soldiers stationed in Darfur, but the total number of military personnel.[26][27]
v
t
e
Conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan
First Sudanese Civil War
Torit mutiny
1958 coup
1964 Revolution
1969 coup
Second Sudanese Civil War
1985 coup
1989 coup
Thunderbolt
War of the Peters
Disarmament of the Lou Nuer
Battle of Malakal
War in Darfur
Omdurman and Khartoum
Sudanese nomadic conflicts
Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile
George Athor's rebellion
Heglig Crisis
South Sudanese Civil War
Sudanese Revolution
2019 coup
2021 coup
War in Sudan (2023–present)
Sudanese peace process
War in Darfur
Timeline
Genocide
International response
UNMIS / AMIS / UNAMID
ICC investigation
Sudanese peace process
Combatants
SLM
JEM
LJM
Janjaweed
Other articles
History of Darfur
Bibliography
v
t
e
The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War,[note 1] was a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups began fighting against the government of Sudan, which they accused of oppressing Darfur's non-Arab population.[33][34] The government responded to attacks by carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Darfur's non-Arabs. This resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the indictment of Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.[35]
One side of the conflict is mainly composed of the Sudanese military, police, and the Janjaweed, a Sudanese militia group whose members are mostly recruited among Arabized indigenous Africans and a small number of Bedouin of the northern Rizeigat; the majority of other Arab groups in Darfur remained uninvolved.[36]
The other side is made up of rebel groups, notably the SLM/A and the JEM, recruited primarily from the non-Arab Muslim Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit ethnic groups. The African Union and the United Nations also have a joint peacekeeping mission in the region, named UNAMID. Although the Sudanese government publicly denies that it supported the Janjaweed, evidence supports claims that it provided financial assistance and weapons and coordinated joint attacks, many against civilians.[37][38] Estimates of the number of human casualties range up to several hundred thousand dead, from either combat or starvation and disease. Mass displacements and coercive migrations forced millions into refugee camps or across the border, creating a humanitarian crisis. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell described the situation as a genocide or acts of genocide.[39]
The Sudanese government and the JEM signed a ceasefire agreement in February 2010, with a tentative agreement to pursue peace. The JEM has the most to gain from the talks and could see semi-autonomy much like South Sudan.[40] However, talks were disrupted by accusations that the Sudanese army launched raids and air strikes against a village, violating the Tolu agreement. The JEM, the largest rebel group in Darfur, vowed to boycott negotiations.[41]
The August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration, signed by military and civilian representatives during the Sudanese Revolution, requires that a peace process leading to a peace agreement be made in Darfur and other regions of armed conflict in Sudan within the first six months of the 39-month transition period to democratic civilian government.[42][43]
A comprehensive peace agreement was signed on 31 August 2020 between the Sudanese authorities and several rebel factions to end armed hostilities.[44]
List of abbreviations used in this article
AU: African Union
DLF: Darfur Liberation Front
ICC: International Criminal Court
IDP: Internally Displaced Person
JEM: Justice and Equality Movement
SLM/A/A: Sudan Liberation Movement/Army
SLM/A: Sudan Liberation Movement
SPLA: Sudan People's Liberation Army
UN: United Nations
UNAMID: United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur
UNSC: United Nations Security Council
^"Darfur Peace Agreement – Doha draft" (PDF). Sudan Tribune. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
^"Three Darfur factions establish new rebel group". Sudan Tribune. 7 July 2017.
^"Al Bashir threatens to 'disarm Darfur rebels' in South Sudan". Radio Dabanga. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
^"Chad, and Darfur, After Bashir". Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
^Afrol News – Eritrea, Chad accused of aiding Sudan rebels Archived 29 June 2012 at archive.today 7 de septiembre de 2007
^
"Sudan adjusting to post-Gaddafi era - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2015. Sudan adjusting to post-Gaddafi era
^"Uganda Signals Diplomatic Breakthrough With Sudan on Rebels". Bloomberg. 13 February 2015. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
^ abDebos 2016, p. 86.
^"Sudan: Govt Deploys Troops to Borders With Libya". Sudan Tribune. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2020 – via allafrica.com.
^"The Sudanese Role in Libya 2011". 17 December 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
^McGreal, Chris (14 February 2008). "What is China doing in Darfur?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
^"Is a Sudanese-Iranian rapprochement possible?". Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
^"Russia's footprint in Sudan". Institute for the Study of Human Rights. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2023.[permanent dead link]
^"Top-10 обвинений Беларуси в сомнительных оружейных сделках". UDF.BY | Новости Беларуси. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
^Ofcansky, Thomas P. (2015). "Foreign Military Assistance" (PDF). In Berry, LaVerle (ed.). Sudan: a country study (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 344–347. ISBN 978-0-8444-0750-0.
^ abcAndrew McGregor (31 May 2019). "Continued Detention of Rebel POWs suggests Sudan's military rulers are not ready to settle with the Armed Opposition". Aberfoyle Inzernational Security. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
^"Sudan's Bashir Forced to Step Down". Reuters. 11 April 2019. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
^"Sudan: Application for summonses for two war crimes suspects a small but significant step towards justice in Darfur | Amnesty International". Amnesty.org. 27 February 2007. Archived from the original on 9 August 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
^"Sudanese authorities arrest members of Bashir's party: Source". Reuters. 20 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
^: Le Secrétaire général et la Présidente de la Commission de l'Union africaine nomment M. Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, du Nigéria, Représentant spécial conjoint pour le Darfour et Chef de la MINUAD Archived 12 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, UN, 27 October 2015
^: Le Secrétaire général et l'Union africaine nomment le général de corps d'armée Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, du Rwanda, Commandant de la force de la MINUAD Archived 12 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, UN, 14 December 2015
^"Sudan, two rebel factions discuss ways to hold peace talks on Darfur conflict". Sudan Tribune. 5 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
^ ab"Three Darfur factions establish new rebel group". Sudan Tribune. 7 July 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
^"Series of explosions at weapons cache rock town in West Kordofan". Sudan Tribune. 6 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
^"Who are Sudan's Jem rebels?". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
^ abMilitary Balance 2007, 293.
^"Sudan Military Strength". GFP. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
^: Faits et chiffres Archived 30 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, UN, 26 October 2016
^: (5a) Fatalities by Year, Mission and Incident Type up to 31 Aug 2016 Archived 13 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine, UN, 8 September 2016
^"Darfur Conflict". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
^"Sudan". United to End Genocide. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
^Neville (2018), p. 20.
^"Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict". BBC News. 8 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
^"Reuters AlertNet – Darfur conflict". Alertnet.org. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
^"The Prosecutor v. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir". International Criminal Court. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
^de Waal, Alex (25 July 2004). "Darfur's Deep Grievances Defy All Hopes for An Easy Solution". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
^"Rights Group Says Sudan's Government Aided Militias". The Washington Post. 20 July 2004. Archived from the original on 4 January 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2007. "Darfur – Meet the Janjaweed". American Broadcasting Company. 3 June 2008. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
^Uppsala Conflict Data Program Conflict Encyclopedia, Sudan, one-sided conflict, Janjaweed – civilians Archived 22 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
^Adam Jones (27 September 2006). Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction. Routledge. p. 373. ISBN 978-1-134-25980-9. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
^"Will peace return to Darfur?". BBC News. 23 February 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
^"Jem Darfur rebels snub Sudan peace talks over 'attacks'". BBC News. 4 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
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