Genocide in Sudan?

Since 2003, Arab militias have waged a violent campaign against black African villagers in the Darfur region of western Sudan, in East Africa. Who are these armed men? Many say they are agents of the Sudanese government, dominated by the Arab elite in Khartoum, the country's capital. So far, the international community has been powerless to stop the killing.

Read the passage below, then answer the questions. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers.

The Sudanese call them "Janjaweed"--or "devils on horseback," as the name translates loosely from the Arabic. Over and over again, these Arab .militias have swooped down on defenseless villages in the state of West Darfur, killing, burning homes, and stealing land. More than 50,000 people have died. About 1.5 million more have been forced to flee their villages for overcrowded refugee camps throughout Darfur and in neighboring Chad, one of the world's poorest countries.

The government of President Omar al-Bashir is accused of supporting the militias as a way to control African rebels who are based in Darfur. Al-Bashir denies the charges and has promised to disarm the Janjaweed. But humanitarian aid groups in the region say that the violence continues.

The villagers of Darfur have long been in conflict with nomadic Arabs over scarce land and water resources. The current violence began in February 2003, when rebel African groups attacked Sudanese military outposts. The rebels demanded greater economic opportunity and political representation. In response, many say, the government unleashed the Janjaweed on the people of Darfur.

After years of rule by the United Kingdom and Egypt, Sudan gained independence in 1956. The Arab-led government based in the north did not share power with African villagers in the south. Distrust between the two groups led to a civil war that lasted until 1972. War broke out again in 1983, in part because southerners objected to the establishment of Muslim law throughout Sudan. More than 2 million people have died in the 21-year conflict, which has been eased by a recent U.S.-supported truce.

The U.S. Congress and European Parliament have called the Janjaweed's current campaign against black Africans in Darfur genocide. Genocide is the systematic killing of a racial or cultural group. A Polish lawyer created the term in 1944 to describe Nazi Germany's attempt to eliminate Europe's Jewish population during World War II. Under a 1948 United Nations (UN) agreement, member nations are legally required to stop genocide from happening.

But at the UN, member nations cannot agree on what to do. Some are hesitant to intervene in the violence. The U.S. and other countries are now working with the African Union to negotiate a truce. Meanwhile, humanitarian groups say that the ongoing violence could kill as many as 300,000 people by the end of this year.

QUESTIONS

1. What is happening in Darfur?

2. Who are the "Janjaweed"?

3. Which group of people in Darfur have reportedly been targeted by the Janjaweed?

4. Why did Africans in Darfur rebel against the Sudanese government?

5. What was the partial cause of the 21-year civil war in the south of Sudan?

6. What is the definition of "genocide"?

7. How did the term "genocide" originate?

8. Which organizations have called the campaign of the Janjaweed and Sudanese government genocide?

9. Why do you think some countries are hesitant to intervene in Darfur?

10. What can the United States do to stop the violence in Darfur?

1. Armed bands called Janjaweed are attacking Africans in Darfur. More than 50,000 people have been killed, and 1.5 million have been displaced since February 2003.

2. The Janjaweed are Arab militias.

3. Black Africans are being attacked by the Janjaweed.

4. Rebel groups based in Darfur revolted against the Sudanese government to demand greater economic opportunity and political representation.

5. Non-Muslim groups objected to the establishment of Muslim law by the government of Sudan.

6. Genocide is the systematic killing of a racial or cultural group.

7. The term was created to describe Nazi Germany's attempt to kill European Jews during World War II.

8. The U.S. Congress and European Parliament.

9. Answers will vary.

10. Answers will vary.