The Janjaweed of Darfur :: essays research papers

The millions of refugees due to violence in Sudan have been produced by the Janjaweed.The word Janjaweed is a term that is used to describe certain armed gunmen in Darfur. The word Janjaweed means 'a man with a gun on a horse'. The janjaweed are an army formed of men from tribes in Darfur and Chad that have become infamous due to their tendencies to be racist, rape, and massacre. The Janjaweed are a group who are against African farmers who have settled in Darfur.The janjaweed is made up of Sudanese and Chadian horse riding nomads. The janjaweed militias are known to attack in large numbers on camels and horseback. The janjaweed push people from their land, often towards town centers. The janjaweed have developed over the years, now having more sophisticated weapons but the same ideals. The janjaweed were first formed in 1988 after the Chadian president defeated the Libyan army. This ended territorial designs on Chad. By 2006 many Janjaweed have joined the Sudan Armed Forces. Many world leaders believe that the Janjaweed killings in Darfur are considered genocide. The janjaweed militia has killed about 450,000 civilians in the course of 3 years. The UN Security Council decided that they want the Janjaweed disarmed. Informally, the Janjaweed were created to run the non-Arabs out of the country. Janjaweed have also been known to steal cattle from non-Arab farms. The Janjaweed were a militia that was tolerated by the Sudanese government in the attempts to control land. It has been said that the Sudanese government formed the Janjaweed but they deny this, saying that they only formed self-defense armies after they were attacked. Although, the Sudanese government did in fact use the Janjaweed at one time or another to protect and serve Sudan. After the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) attacked the Sudanese government, they armed the Janjaweed and sent them to counterattack. The Janjaweed executed a ?scorched earth? attack meaning they destroyed everything useful to their enemy and killed many people.