In 2003, after decades of neglect, drought, oppression and small-scale conflicts in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, two rebel groups mounted an insurgency against Sudan’s central government. The response was brutal. The government armed and supported local militias known as the Janjaweed. They wiped out entire villages, destroyed food and water supplies, and systematically murdered, tortured and raped hundreds of thousands of Darfurians. These attacks occur with the direct support of the Sudanese government’s armed forces.

Few Darfurians have been spared the violence. This scorched earth campaign has already claimed as many as 400,000 lives. It has spilled over into neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic. In all, about 2.3 million Darfurians have fled their homes and now reside in a network of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Darfur, with over 200,000 more living in refugee camps in Chad. These refugees and IDPs are completely dependent on the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations for even their basic needs – food, water, shelter, and health care. Approximately another 1 million Darfurians still live in their villages, under the constant threat of bombings, raids, murder, rape and torture.