Darfur (Dictionary)

Darfur

Darfur is a region in western Sudan that has been in an official state of humanitarian emergency since 2003. Although tensions had already been rising in the region and conflict was rife, in 2003 two rebel factions, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) revolted, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non- Arab Sudanese. The Sudanese government responded forcefully and violently, supporting the militant group, the Janjaweed, in their brutal destruction of hundreds of villages. The ensuing war led to severe human rights violations and ethnic genocide, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands and displacing over two million people.