Nomads

Earlier today, the AU Panel on Darfur met with a delegation of North Darfur Arabs, who had earlier convened a workshop to prepare their responses to a series of questions posed by the Panel, on the four subjects of peace,

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A new report from the Small Arms Survey by Julie Flint, “Beyond Janjaweed: Understanding the Militias of Darfur,” examines the Arab militia in Darfur, through the stages of mobilization, mutiny and their current dance of distrust with the Khartoum authorities.

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The situation in the Afar land of Northeastern Ethiopia is reminiscent of early Darfur: desperately impoverished nomadic communities pushed to the limit. With one important distinction: government presence, and possibly “too much of it,” as NGO workers often complain. Ethiopia’s federal system helps ease the conflict between settlers and the nomads. Were the Afars armed by the Ethiopian government and pitted against the Somalis for territorial gain over the Ogaden, it doesn’t take an educated guess figure out that similar bloodshed would unfold in Ethiopia as it did in Darfur. And studying the efforts to improve the lot of the Afar also tells us how some of the challenges facing Darfur’s nomads can also be surmounted. Continue reading →

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Livelihoods, Power and Choice: the Vulnerability of the Northern Rizaygat, Darfur, Sudan, is the latest report on Darfur from the Feinstein International Famine Center. Livelihoods in Darfur are intimately linked to the conflict, none more so than the livelihoods of

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Darfur’s Arabs are back in the spotlight—as victims, as Janjawiid, and as rebels. The relationship between the Sudan government and the Darfur Arabs has never been simple, and it’s not getting any less so now. Most important is to recognize that Darfur’s Arabs—despite their silence—are nobody’s fools. Continue reading →

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This last week I was in Kutum—the first time I have spent more than a day in the north Darfur town since November-December 1985. It was fascinating to be back in the district after a gap of 22 years. The

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