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The Darfur conflict erupted in early 2003, when the predominantly Muslim militants of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) started attacking government forces and installations in the western region of Sudan. The militants accused the government of President Omar Hassan El-Bashir of neglecting the region and oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs in the state of Darfur. The government, caught by surprise by the militants' attacks, had very few troops in the region. In response, it mounted a campaign of aerial bombardment in support of ground attacks by an Arab militia, the Janjaweed, which it had recruited from local tribes.

In the past 3 ½ years of fighting, at least 200,000 people have been killed and about 2.5 million people have fled their homes. Most of the displaced people escape to larger towns where they stay in camps for "internally displaced people," while some cross the border into Chad, where they live in refugee, camps, straining local resources. Death rates have climbed to as many as 10,000 people per month since the conflict began in Darfur, Sudan, mainly due to the pervasive, but preventable, disease and hunger. Attacks on civilians during the conflict have been brutal and often include the burning of homes, rape and killing. Victims are reduced to a meager existence in ramshackle huts located in numerous camps along the edge of the Sahara. Displaced families have minimal access to food, water, clothing, and shelter. The Janjaweed patrol outside the camps and Darfurians say the men are killed and the women raped if they venture too far in search of firewood or water.

The government of Sudan bulldozed the Al Geer camp for displaced persons after chasing the people out in the middle of the night.

This is the beginning of the burning of the village of Um Zeifa after the Janjaweed looted and attacked.

Individual killed in Amaka Sara by helicopter gunship attack.

Failed Diplomacy:

How many more killings, rapes, and destroyed lives in Darfur will it take before the international community acts to stop it?
Antonio Gutierres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has described the situation in Sudan and Chad as "the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe."

Rape and sexual violence are being used on a daily basis as weapons of war in Darfur. The rape of women and girls - including girls as young as eight - is widespread. Where committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, rape constitutes a crime against humanity.

While African Union peacekeepers had taken some initial steps to address the situation, those efforts have been reduced in recent months, leading to increased attacks. AMIS (African Union Mission in Sudan) patrols designed to keep civilians safe when they venture outside the camps in search of firewood have been called off in many areas, leaving families with an impossible choice; whether to send out fathers and sons who might be killed, or mothers and daughters who might be raped.

Governments have been quick to call for an end to the violence, but slow to act. UN resolutions have not been implemented and six rounds of peace talks over almost two years have failed to resolve the crisis. With much international pressure, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was brokered in May 2006 between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Mini Menawi. However, deadlines have been broken, and violence has escalated.

This violence has made it dangerous, if not impossible, for most of the millions of displaced persons to return to their homes. Humanitarian aid agencies face growing obstacles to bringing widespread relief. Some aid workers have been killed, while many others have been forced from the region by the turmoil. According to Jan Egeland, UN under Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs, there are now 4 million in desperate need of humanitarian assistance - and that in a climate of massive rearmament.

Recent Efforts:

Many aid agencies are working in Darfur, but they are unable to get access to vast areas because of the fighting. Much of Darfur is inaccessible to aid workers and researchers. About 7,000 African Union troops have slowly been deployed in Darfur on a very limited mandate. Experts say the soldiers are too few to cover an area the size of France, and the African Union says it does not have the money to fund the operation for much longer.

While the world hopes a temporary cease-fire will take hold in strife-torn Darfur, the humanitarian crisis persists. Humanitarian and world relief agencies, such as AmeriCares, send airlifts to Darfur, carrying critically needed medicines and medical supplies to help those who are suffering. Throughout Darfur, the need to provide the conflict-affected population with access to primary health care remains urgent. Dedicated airlifts to North, South and West Darfur, starting in January 2007, delivered a total of 28 tons of essential medicines and relief supplies to combat respiratory and intestinal infections, malaria and other debilitating diseases. International aid includes antibiotics, malaria test kits and vitamins. These supplies will support health facilities and clinics (run by Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee) throughout the region that serves more than 400,000 Sudanese who are living in relief camps or nearby villages.

"As long as the crisis in Darfur remains unresolved, we must continue to provide relief," says Curt Welling, president and CEO of AmeriCares. "We are continuing a commitment we made in 2004, which is to be the primary provider of essential medicines in that region."

You can help The Water-Walking Foundation support other international aid agencies, such as AmeriCares, World Vision and Mercy Corps. For more information on The Water-Walking Foundation's efforts to improve the conditions in Darfur, please contact us.