Who Are the Janjaweed?
A Look at the "devils on Horseback."
Sources for the exact Arabic words that were combined to create the term Janjaweed are conflicted. However, translated the term means "devil on horseback" or simply "man on horse with a gun." Both are accurate descriptions of most Janjaweed militiamen. These men are often seen on horseback and are rarely seen without guns (possibly provided by the Sudan Army). They must also appear evil to their victims.
The Janjaweed militia primarily consists of nomadic Arabs from Darfur. These men had skirmishes with the "black" men of Darfur over land and resources before the 2003 conflict. When the government stepped in, they apparently provided the Janjaweed with the resources to inflict all out terror, war crimes and genocide on the people of Sudan. Conflicts had never reached such an abhorrent level in Darfur.
Oddly, the Janjaweed seem to be of the opinion that they are superior to the other ethnic groups in Darfur, of which there are many. They call them "black" and think of them as impure. It is important to note that Sudan is an African nation. Most, if not all, of its residents are black, including the Janjaweed. Janjaweed believe they have lighter skin. Plenty of pictures exist of Darfur citizens who have very light skin and the same goes for Janjaweed with dark skin. Theirs is a false sense of superiority.
One of the Janjaweed tools of terror is rape. They are, for the most part, indiscriminate. They are known to rape female children, adult and elderly women. It is not unheard of for 10 or more Janjaweed to take turns raping a single female. They will also take them as sex slaves. They pride themselves in impregnating these women in order to create Arabic babies (children in Darfur are considered to be of the same ethnic group as their fathers). They excuse themselves by claiming that it is impossible to rape these women because they are always willing and they are impure. That is very strange as most of these women are Muslim, like the Janjaweed.
Sadly, this rape has caused a major crisis for the women of Darfur. Being Muslim, they must follow Sharia law, which is God's law. The law of the Muslims dictates that a woman must produce four male witnesses to her rape in order for a man to be found guilty. Therefore, there is hardly a point to a woman seeking justice for rape in Darfur. She will find none. In fact, if she is married and cannot prove she was raped under Muslim law, she can be stoned to death for adultery. On top of the lack of justice, Muslim women are deeply shamed by these rapes and subsequent pregnancies. Some women have even killed their babies for fear of being shunned for carrying the child of a Janjaweed. The psychological scars of rape are deep and widespread in Darfur. The worst part is, the government will not admit that the Janjaweed are even committing these acts.
Other tools of terror used by the Janjaweed are theft, murder and the burning of homes. While the army bombed Darfur villages from the sky, the Janjaweed would go in, beat, murder, rape, steal and finally destroy the villages of the citizens. This has left an estimated 300,000 people dead and more than two million displaced. If the government is not behind it, why are they not stopping the Janjaweed? The genocide has reportedly come to end, according to some sources and the government never lifted a finger to stop the Janjaweed. That is their legacy. That is the Janjaweed. They are devils on horseback who were given free reign, possibly even orders, to destroy the hearts, minds and homes of the people they didn't kill with impunity.
Sources
McFerran, Ann, Curse of the Janjaweed, retrieved 8/2/10, timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article2489206.ece
Heart of Darfur, Guide to Factions and Forces, retrieved 8/2/10, pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/heart-of-darfur/guide-to-factions-and-forces/299/#gos
Published by Shelly Barclay
Shelly Barclay writes on a variety of topics from animal facts to mysteries in history. Her main focus is military and political history. She is the Boston History Examiner, Military History Examiner and the... View profile
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18 Comments
Post a CommentYou're very welcome. :D
thank you so much, you have helped me a great deal. I look forward reading more of you articles. I just read the one on the "White Death" it was very interesting
5. And if so is Ali Kushayb still the leader?
I do not believe he is. It is my understanding that he is in custody in Sudan. Of course, I am uncertain of whether those reports are correct. It is a tumultuous time in Sudan.
3. Do you think that South Sudan will suffer a violent history just like Sudan?
Unfortunately, they already are.
4. Are the Janjaweed still in exsistence?
Oh, this is just my opinion, but if you give a group of men such power and they see fit to wield that power, they do not just disappear. The Janjaweed will be around for some time. Whether or not they will be able to operate as they apparently have is another question. The only way to really stop them is to end the conflicts that plague the area. If you look at other similar groups that have operated in that area of the continent, you see that they jump from place to place. If they have to flee, they flee to conflict ridden areas and continue, as many suspect those responsible for the Rwandan Genocide did. Sadly, there is fear that they penetrate refugee camps as well. I have no reason to believe the Janjaweed will be different.
2.Do you know what, if anything is being done to help the refugees of Darfur find a permanent home?
A permanent home for all of them? Nothing. Establishing a permanent home in Darfur is impossible for outside relief groups. Groups cannot get in on that scale. As for outside of Darfur, it is my understanding that refugees have fled to Ethiopia, the DCR and Chad, with Chad housing the bulk of them. International aid groups help maintain refugee camps for some displaced Darfurians, but refugee camps do not make stable permanent homes. It is unclear to me at this time whether such a thing will be possible or if the people will disperse on their own once the conflicts end, as we see in so many genocides. They are currently joined by refugees from other areas of Sudan as well.
I have not read Tears of the Desert. I will have to pick it up. I did read an excellent piece by a man who escaped Darfur, but I can't think of the name of it. I read it several years ago. I will post when I find it.
1. What do you think are the chances that another genocide of this magnitude could happen in Sudan again or do you think maybe it has never really stopped?
Based strictly on my personal opinion, it is unlikely to recur in the near future. Genocide on a large scale is difficult to maintain, for obvious reasons. Victims dwindle over time. I don't think the killing has stopped, but it has, in all likelihood, become less widespread and frequent. We know that attacks are still happening. Whether they are military or "militia" related is harder to deduce.
thank you very much.
1. What do you think are the chances that another genocide of this magnitude could happen in Sudan again or do you think maybe it has never really stopped?
2.Do you know what, if anything is being done to help the refugees of Darfur find a permanent home?
3. Do you think that South Sudan will suffer a violent history just like Sudan?
4. Are the Janjaweed still in exsistence?
5. And if so is Ali Kushayb still the leader?
thank you very much again.
p.s. I was wondering if you have ever read Tears of The Desert if not I highly recommend it.
Daniel, this is the only way I can contact you back, but I would certainly answer a few questions for you.
Shelly thank you for these articles on the genocide in Sudan they are really helping me with my research paper. I was hopping that since you know quite a bit about the genocide in darfur you would do a short interview. I would only ask you 5 short questions, it would be greatly appreciated. but regardless thank you for the articles
Good stuff, Shelly. I mean bad stuff, but good writing and information.