Darfur: The Kidnapping And The Conflict

The Kidnapping

During the early morning hours of Saturday, August 29th, 2009, two peacekeepers were kidnapped at gunpoint in Zalingei, Darfur. Darfur makes up about one fifth of the largest African nation, the Sudan. Darfur is well known for being the country in which very many African natives are being slaughtered daily. These peacekeepers were a man and a woman from UNAMID, an effort between the UN and the African Union to achieve peace in Darfur by means of reaching a peace agreement and protecting the general population.

The spokesperson for UNAMID, Noureddine Mezni, issued a statement in which he stated that contact has been made with the abductors in order to start working on a deal to have the victims released. He declined to inform the press as to who exactly was behind the kidnapping.

The Conflict In Darfur, Explained

Darfur is located in Sudan. There are 6 million people in Darfur. A large amount of these people are nomadic (migrating) tribes. These tribes think of themselves as Arab, by speaking the language and following the customs. Another large group of people in Darfur are non-Arab tribes. These tribes consist of nomadic and sedentary (non-migrating) farmers. These tribes have long been arguing over the rights to the land and water near them. Most groups on both sides are dark-skinned Africans. The noticeable difference is simply their culture.

The main conflict in Darfur is caused by the warring of Arab tribal fighters (the Janjaweed) and non-Arab rebel groups. Sudan’s mainly-Arab government is said to have hired Arab fighters in an effort to rid the country of rebel groups complaining of discrimination from the government. The government insists that they have nothing to do with the Janjaweed, though Janjaweed leaders have claimed the government asked them for help.

Victims of the government-supporting group attacks say that the attackers talk mainly of harming or killing “blacks” or “slaves.” This only adds to the massive confusion of the rest of the world, as both sides are mainly dark-skinned. The only speculation one could offer is that perhaps because the Janjaweed consider themselves Arabs, they have separated themselves from the idea of being black, and have instead only associated this title with non-Arab tribes. One in about every three victims of Arab attacks say the attackers used racial slurs.

The Sahara Desert is quickly consuming the plains of Darfur. It is eating away at the area by about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) a year. This only increases the battle for fruitful land between the two groups, making the situation more and more desperate. This conflict is becoming increasingly important to resolve, yet is only losing the attention of the United States media.