President Omar al-Bashir. It is five years since the darfur conflict was recognised as a genocide by the US congress.On Sept. 9, 2004, The United States secretary of state Colin Powell termed the Darfur conflict a genocide, claiming as the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. There have been reports that the Janawid has been launching raids, bombings, and attacks on villages, killing
civilians based on ethnicity , raping women, stealing land, goods, and herds of livestock. So far, over 2.5 million civili ans have been displaced and the death toll is variously estimated from 200,000 to 400,000 killed. These figures have remained stagnant since initial UN reports of the conflict hinted at genocide in 2003/2004. Genocide has been considered a criminal offense under international humanitarian law since the 1948 Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide.On May 5, 2006, the Sudanese Govt. and Darfur largest rebel group, the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), signed the Darfur Peace Agreemen, which aimed at ending the three year long conflict. the agreement specified the the disarmament of the Janjawid and the disbandment of the rebel forces, and aimed at establishing a temporalgovt. in which the rebel could take part. The agreement, which was brokered by African Union, however, was not signed by all of the rebel groups. Only one rebel group, the SLA, led by Minni Arko Minnawi, signed the DPA.
Since the agreement was signed, however, there have been reports of widespread violence throughout the region. A new rebel group has emerged called the National Redemp
tion Front, which is made up of the four rebel groups that refused to sign the May peace agreement. Recently, both the Sudanese Govt. and theGovt. -sponsored Muslim militia have launched large offensive against the rebel group, resulting in more deaths and more displacements. Clashses among the rebel groups have also contributed to the violence. Recent fighting along the
Chad border has left hundreds of soldiers and rebel forces dead and nearly a quarter of a million refugees cut from aid. In addition, villages have been bombed and more civilians have been killed.UNICEF recently reported that around 80 infants died out of mal-nutrition each day in Darfur.The people in Darfur are predominantly Black Africans of Muslim belief , while the Janjawid militia is made up of Arabized Black Africans. Darfurians are Arabs and non-Arabs.
Childs are in a refugee camp in Chad
Basirh was accused of ten criminal charges on July 2008.
