history+of+the+people-darfur

Home Page | Sudan History | Timeline | Important People | U.S. Involvement | Genocide in Darfur | Call to Action | Works Cited

= History of the People of Darfur =

The people of Darfur are a complex mosaic between 40 and 90 ethnic groups. Two of the main ethnicities involved in Darfur are African and Arab. Although there are many ethnicities involved, there is only one religion. All the people of Darfur are Muslim. Unlike with the Holocaust, religion is not what is keeping the two groups apart.

In the 14th century, the Arabs began arriving in Darfur and established themselves as Nomadic cattle and camel herders. These nomadic Arabs lived peacefully in Darfur for many years until about 1955 when the first North South war started. This war started as a result of the Darfur government handing over political power to a minority of northern Arab élite's. This change in power was not fully supported by the people of Darfur, but unfortunately that didn't matter. These nomadic Arab élite's have remained in power ever since. The North South war lasted until 1972 when peace was signed under President Nimeiry.

The government of Darfur is still not supported by the people of Darfur because of some of the awful things they have been doing. They government wants to have all blacks killed for no reason other than that they are black. All men over 15 years old are ordered to be killed and pregnant women are cut open just incase they are carrying a boy. Those are just some of the many terrible things the government has been able to get away with, but there are many more.