Since 2002, the Government of Sudan, led by Omar al-Bashir, began its genocidal campaign against the people of Darfur systematically using Janjaweed militias and the Sudan Armed Forces to target the indigenous African people living in the western region of Darfur by targeting the Fur, the Masalit, and the Zaghawa. The government was reported to have conducted mass killings, the burning of villages, the looting of properties, and the destruction of food and water, which have forced millions to flee their homes. Rape and sexual violence have also been systematically used a weapon of war, affecting the livelihoods of millions of women and girls in Darfur. The violence in Darfur has led to a full-blown humanitarian crisis, resulting in what Dr. Mukesh Kapila, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan at the time, characterized as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world”. Conservative estimates believe that nearly 400,000 Darfuris have died, over three million have been displaced, and over 2.7 million people have been residing in internally displaced camps while still facing attacks. Nearly 1 million people have been forced to flee to neighboring countries where they continued to live in deplorable conditions, among whom about 373,000 are refugees in Chad alone.

In response to the catastrophe, the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) have referred the case of Darfur to the International Criminal Court ICC in 2005. The ICC investigated and concluded that genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity have been committed. They consequently issued 5 arrest warrants for government officials and Janjaweed leaders, including the former president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir. Unfortunately, those wanted by the ICC for their crimes in Darfur are still at large. In 2007, the UNSC authorized the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), which deployed 27,000 forces in an attempt to protect civilians. While the deployment was successful, the Bashir government placed countless obstacles in the way and restricted the UNAMID forces heavily, which severely limited their ability to provide adequate protection to the people of Darfur. This further exposed the people of Darfur to horrific attacks that were largely ignored by the international community.

In 2014, government forces invaded the village of Tabit and raped an estimated 221 women and girls over a period of 36 hours. Rape and other serious abuses are considered to be serious violations of international human rights law. However, still to this day, the UN Security Council has neither investigated nor held the attackers accountable. In 2016, the Government of Sudan allegedly used chemical weapons in the Jebel Merra region. According to a report by Amnesty International, over 32 villages were attacked with chemical weapons, killing over 250 civilians. Despite the credible reports the international community took no action to investigate or provide health assistance for those impacted. These incidents are not isolated from one another but are systematic tactics of genocide that have been sadly embedded in the daily lives of the innocent people of Darfur. However, the international community has failed to enforce their resolutions in Darfur. Because there hasn’t been proper accountability in Darfur, those who have been displaced over 20 years ago still can’t return to their homes.

On April 11, 2019, President al-Bashir was overthrown after millions of Sudan took to the streets demanding him to step down. Following al-Bashir’s ouster a power-sharing agreement was signed between civilian and military groups shortly thereafter, placing in power a transitional government. However, plans went awry when the Sudanese military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took control of Sudan’s government in a military coup d’état in October of 2021. Despite of the lack of recognition and condemnation from regional and international actors, the Janjaweed and other militias have been emboldened and remobilized their bases across Darfur. Since the coup, violence in Darfur continues to escalate at an alarming rate. Although al-Bashir was ousted, his totalitarian regime is still very present and continues to carry their genocidal policies against the indigenous tribes who have been targeted for genocide and singled out for extermination for the past 20 years. In recent attacks in West Darfur this spring, over 200 people were killed in two hours and 198 have been wounded. The number of internally displaced people in Darfur have increased dramatically within this year, with refugee camps plagued with bad living conditions. People continue to peacefully protest the coup and demand the return of power to a civilian government. The response from government forces and the police has been brutal, using tear gas and live ammunition to quell the protests.

The end of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) mandate on January 1, 2021, has left a power and protection vacuum in the region, resulting in an escalation of violence and insecurity. Although UNAMID had its shortcomings, it was effective in providing patrol around camps, engaging in civilian protection, and facilitating humanitarian access, filling a gap that the Government of Sudan was both unwilling and unable to fill. In contrast, its replacement, the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), lacks civilian protection mandates, which has left civilians vulnerable to violence.

In a region that has been ravaged by genocide, the victims must not be abandoned before there is peace and justice in place. The international presence in Darfur is particularly crucial to observe a ceasefire, provide civilian protection, and contribute to creating an enabling environment for IDPs and refugees to safely and voluntarily return to their rightful land. The innocent civilians of Darfur have been continuously plagued with violence for over 20 years, with violence still continuing to escalate. It is now vital now more than ever to protect the civilians of Darfur against genocidal violence so they may get the peace they deserve.