Orgin of Hunger in Darfur

The hunger situation in Darfur has many interwoven causes. These include weather, historical issues, and limited foreign support. If theses problems are not resolved, then thousands more people will die. It is necessary to look at the root of the problem in order to understand it completely.

Dating all the way back to British rule, the Darfur region of Sudan has been through enormous amounts of hardships. However, even before Britain took over, race tensions between Arabs (north) and Africans (south) populations were always present. This is due to the fact that the Arabs controlled areas near the Nile. As a result, they benefited from the resources and gained all the profit economically. Britain established an Anglo-Egyptian condominium rule over Sudan and then later incorporated Darfur into the country (Arab Net). Within Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, the majority of the resources were allocated to the Blue Nile region, leaving the rest of the country undeveloped. After Sudan won their independence in 1956, the Blue Nile inhabitants continued political and economic marginalization. The Darfur conflict began in February of 2003 when rebel groups of South Africa accused the government of oppressing non-Arabs. Janjaweed, an Arab militia group, proceeded to attack the African and brutally murder thousands. The Sudanese government has been providing the Janjaweed with assistance and supplies although they deny it. The US has labeled this war as genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Another factor that contributes to the hunger situation is the weather. Darfur is mainly and arid plateau with the Marrah Mountains, a range of volcanic peaks. The entire eastern half of Darfur is covered with low hills and sandy soils. To the north are the desert sands of the Sahara. Western Darfur is covered by basement rock, which is too infertile to be farmed. The Marrah Mountains cover the rest of the region. Most of the population in Darfur