O Sudan it is, without a doubt, one of the most politically unstable countries in the world. Historical conflicts and internal disputes have taken place in its territory since its independence from the United Kingdom, which took place in the 1950s. Since then, there have been two civil wars and even the South Sudan independence, which was a mostly Christian region, in contrast to the Islamic majority in the north.
You Darfur conflicts emerge as a more dramatic element in this context. They have been dragging on since 2003 and still occur today, with a toll of thousands of dead and millions of refugees, although the alarming numbers do not generate as much attention and debate in the political sphere. International. According to the United Nations, more than 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.7 millions had to abandon their areas of origin, migrating mainly to neighboring Chad to the west.
The causes of the conflicts in Darfur lie in the regional differences in terms of social development and the actions of the Sudanese government. Under the allegation that the Sudanese government had completely abandoned the western regions, armed groups with a non-Arab majority rose up and began attacking targets of the government, which has since responded heavily with direct attacks and also with the help of militias and armed organizations, although the country's official bodies deny this. practice.
The two main groups operating in Darfur are the Justice and Equality Movement (MJI) and the Sudanese Liberation Army (ELS). On the other hand, the government, in addition to attacking with aerial bombardments, also acts through incentives to Janjaweed, a militia belonging to an Arab and Muslim ethnic group located in North Darfur, the Baggara.
Although a peace agreement was signed in 2006 (not adhered to by all rebel groups), escalation of violence was resumed more intensely in 2013, raising again the number of deaths and refugees. In the meantime, in 2011 the independence of South Sudan took place through a referendum, although this did not generate any kind of truce between Sudan and the government of the newly formed territory.
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Currently, the map of the region is thus established: to the west, the region of Darfur, which is fighting against the government based in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. To the south, South Sudan, which, although in a temporary truce, maintains an unstable relationship with the north, especially because of the dispute over borders and the flow of oil production through gas pipelines that pass through the territory Sudanese.
Map of Sudan, South Sudan and the Darfur Region
It can be said that the independence that took place in the south may have left the government in Khartoum even more fragile. politically, which has raised the political motivation of groups in Darfur for an increasingly separatism claimed. It is worth remembering that this position is not unanimous in the region, since non-Arab Muslim ethnic groups in the region suffer from some internal resistance from Arab ethnic groups.
Several humanitarian organizations and also the UN work in the region to try to contain the conflict or minimize its damage to human rights. However, the relationship of these organizations with the government is not very friendly, especially due to the frequent accusations that the government has been carrying out serious and sequential war crimes. In addition, the UN is often limited by China's role in the Security Council, as that the Chinese government has several agreements with Sudan for the import of oil and minerals in general. This context further diminishes the hope of peace for the region.
Protest in London against genocide in Darfur, which has little international appeal *
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* Image credit: David Burrows / Shutterstock.com
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "Conflict of Darfur"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/conflito-darfur.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
