Janjaweed

The janjaweed (in Arabic جنجويد, formed from the words "man", "firearm" and "horse") they are a paramilitary army formed in the area of Darfur (Sudan), and eastern Chad. Their name means "armed horsemen". The etymological relationship of the word with yinn (genius) has not been proven. The group is Arabic-speaking and Muslim in religion, which mixes quickly among the herding nomadic population, as factions are common among the Sudanese.

Using the United Nations definition, the Janjaweed come from Sudanese Arab tribes. The group consists of abbala (camel herders) members and a significant recruitment of baggara (cattle herders). This UN definition may not be entirely accurate, as cases of members of other tribes have been detected. In the past, they have had disagreements with the sedentary people of Darfur over natural holdings and farmland, due to decreased rainfall and scarcity of water.

Since 2003 it has been one of the main actors in the conflict in Darfur, in which clashes have taken place between the nomadic tribes and the sedentary population of the region, in a fight for resources and land allocation.

They are currently in conflict with the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement, rebel groups in Darfur. This army is estimated to have killed over 30,000 people and caused a mass exodus to refugee camps of over a million people.

Although the UN has described the wave of attacks against human rights caused by the Janjawid group as crimes against humanity (not genocide), it has not taken concrete action measures given the various political-economic interests in the affected area.

The UN ignored warnings of genocide. This can be found in the book entitled Target Darfur by Dr. Mukesh Kapila.