Janjaweed

Janjaweed
جنجويد
LeaderMultiple leaders, including Musa Hilal, Ali Kushayb, and Hemedti
Dates of operation1987–present[1][2]
Active regionsSudan
Chad
Yemen
Libya
IdeologyArab nationalism
Anti-Black racism
Islamism (Disputed)
StatusActive
SizeUnknown (less than 25,000 est.)
Part ofSudanese Armed Forces[3] (de jure)
Rapid Support Forces[4] (de facto)
OpponentsSudan Liberation Army
Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa peoples
Battles and wars

The Janjaweed (Arabic: جَنْجَويد, romanized: Janjawīd; also transliterated Janjaweed[5]) are an Arab nomad militia group operating in the Sahel region[6] that operates in Sudan, particularly in Darfur and eastern Chad.[7] They are also active in Yemen due to participating in the Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen.[8][9][10] According to the United Nations definition, Janjaweed membership consists of Arab nomad tribes from the Sahel, the core of whom are Abbala Arabs, traditionally employed in camel herding, with significant recruitment from the Baggara.

Janjaweed nomads were initially at odds with Darfur's sedentary population due to competition over natural grazing grounds and farmland, a conflict exacerbated by dwindling rainfall and drought. The Janjaweed were a major player in the Darfur conflict between 2003 and 2020, in opposition to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement rebels.[11][12] In 2013, the Rapid Support Forces grew out of the Janjaweed.[13]

  1. ^ "On the run from Sudan's Arab militias - again". BBC News. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Sudan's Janjaweed Militia". PBS. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference sudanesearmed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Etefa, Tsega (18 June 2019). ""Explainer: tracing the history of Sudan's Janjaweed militia"". theconversation.com. The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  5. ^ Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf, Darfur Allegory (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2021); "Sudan". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021.
  6. ^ Abusharaf, 74, 76;"Janjaweed". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  7. ^ "UN Warns Chad Violence Could Replicate Rwanda Genocide". Christian Today. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Sudan unrest: What are the Rapid Support Forces?". Al Jazeera. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  9. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Sudan's Controversial Rapid Support Forces Bolster Saudi Efforts in Yemen". Refworld. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  10. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (28 December 2018). "On the Front Line of the Saudi War in Yemen: Child Soldiers From Darfur". New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023.
  11. ^ Nabati, Mikael (August 2004). "The U.N. Responds to the Crisis in Darfur: Security Council Resolution 1556". American Society of International Law. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007.
  12. ^ "Sudan signs peace deal with rebel groups from Darfur". Al Jazeera. 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Who are Sudan's RSF and their commander Hemeti?". Al Jazeera English. 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.