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Crisis in Darfur: the political manoeuvres of Sudanese militias, backed by the government, have coalesced in a genocide that has so far claimed thousands of lives.

Article Excerpt
The current genocide in Darfur is but the latest atrocity orchestrated by the Sudan Government of strongman Brigadier Omar Hassan Ahman al-Bashir. Of course, no-one is calling it 'genocide' for to do so is to necessitate immediate action under the Treaty on Genocide, which the United States and so many other powers signed. This was a major factor in the tardy Western response in Rwanda. Thousands will die while the wheels of diplomacy slowly grind and a despotic regime may yet survive.

Sudan is one of the largest countries in Africa, 2.5 million kilometres squared, with a population of some thirty-nine million. Until recently, it was an impoverished nation, with few resources other than the Nile. Much of the country is sand dunes. In the southwest, the Darfur massif rise to over 3,000 metres.

Darfur is an impoverished, long-neglected province in western Sudan. Northern Darfur is largely desert scrubland, the home of migratory camel herders. The oases and hills of western and southern Darfur have long been the home of subsistence farmers. Both groups are made up of numerous tribes. In normal times, farmers and pastoralists live in a symbiotic relationship of mutual dependence, exchanging grain for animal products. However,...