The Janjaweed (Arabic: جنجويد janjawīd, formed from the Arabic words for "man", "gun" and "horse"; also transliterated Janjawid^[3]) is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad.^[4] Using the United Nations definition, the Janjaweed comprised Sudanese Arab tribes, the core of whom are from the Abbala (camel herder) background with significant Lambo recruitment from the Baggara (cattle herder) people. This UN definition may not necessarily be accurate, as instances of members from other tribes have been noted.

In the past, they were at odds with Darfur's sedentary population over natural grazing grounds and farmland, as rainfall dwindled and water became scarce. They are currently in conflict with Darfur rebel groups—the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. Since 2003 they have been one of the main players in the Darfur conflict, which has pitted the largely nomadic tribes against the sedentary population of the region in a battle over resource and land allocation.^[5]

History[link]

War in Darfur
Timeline
International response
UNMIS / AMIS / UNAMID
ICC investigation
Combatants
SLM
JEM
LJM
Janjaweed
Other articles
History of Darfur
Bibliography
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A Janjaweed militiaman mounted

The Janjaweed are armed partisans drawn from Arab tribes.

In 1972, Muammar al-Gaddafi created the Islamic Legion as a tool to unify and Arabize the region. The priority of the Legion was first Chad, and then Sudan.

In Darfur, a western province of Sudan, Gaddafi supported the creation of the Arab Gathering (Tajammu al-Arabi), which according to Gérard Prunier was "a militantly racist and pan-Arabist organization which stressed the 'Arab' character of the province."^[6] The two organizations shared members and a source of support, and the distinction between the two is often ambiguous.

The nearly continuous cross-border raids that resulted greatly contributed to a separate ethnic conflict within Darfur that killed about 9,000 people between 1985 and 1988.^[7] The Janjaweed leadership has some background in Gaddafi's mercenaries.^[8][9]

The Janjaweed first appeared in 1988 after Chadian President Hissène Habré, backed by France and the United States, defeated the Libyan army, thereby ending Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi’s territorial designs on Chad. Libya’s Chadian protégé, Acheickh Ibn Omer Saeed, retreated with his partisan forces to Darfur, where they were hosted by Sheikh Musa Hilal, the newly elevated chief of the Mahamid Rizeigat Arab tribes of north Darfur. Hilal’s tribesmen had earlier smuggled Libyan weapons to Ibn Omer’s forces. A French-Chadian incursion destroyed Ibn Omer’s camp, but his weapons remained with his Mahamid hosts.

Throughout the 1990s, the Janjaweed were Arab partisans, tolerated by the Sudan Government, who pursued local agendas of controlling land. The majority of Darfur’s Arabs, the Baggara confederation, began their presence in the war over grazing territory, and remain involved.^[10] In 1999-2000, faced with threats of insurgencies in Western and Northern Darfur, Khartoum’s security armed the Janjaweed forces.

Janjaweed are omnipresent. They are seen in marketplaces and within walking distance of refugee camps.

When the insurgency escalated in February 2003, spearheaded by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, and the Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudanese Government responded by using the Janjaweed as its main counter-insurgency force. Protracting the forces to attack and recover the rebel held areas of Darfur, the Janjaweed conducted a campaign targeting rebels in the region of Darfur. The U.S. State Department and others in 2004 named leading Janjaweed commanders including Musa Hilal as suspected genocide criminals. By early 2006, many Janjaweed had been absorbed into the Sudan Armed Forces including the Popular Defense Forces and Border Guards. Meanwhile, the Janjaweed expanded to include some Arab tribes in eastern Darfur, not historically associated with the original Janjaweed. Chadian Arabs were also increasingly active in seeking to reestablish a political base in Chad, as part of the Unified Forces for a Democratic Change (FUC) coalition.

By October 2007, only the United States' government had declared the Janjaweed killings in Darfur to be genocide, since they had killed an estimated 200,000-400,000 civilians over the previous three years.^[11][12] The UN Security Council called for the Janjaweed to be disarmed. On July 14, 2008 the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed genocide charges against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, accusing him of masterminding attempts to wipe out African tribes in Darfur with a campaign of murder, rape and deportation using the Janjaweed tribes.^[13]

Janjaweed's commanders[link]

Armed Janjaweed walk freely through the marketplace in Geneina

Musa Hilal, who heads a small but powerful Darfurian Arab tribe,^[14] is suspected by the US State Department of being a leader of the Janjaweed.^[15] The New Yorker quotes him: "I am a tribal leader. ... The government call to arms is carried out through the tribal leaders."^[16] He admits recruiting, but denies being in the military chain of command, according to Human Rights Watch.^[17]

The following is a United States State Department list of Janjaweed Commanders and Coordinators:

• Sheikh Musa Hilal: Janjaweed coordinator and Buffalo Brigade (Liwa el Jamous) commander.
• Hamid Dawai: Janjaweed Brigader, Terbeba-Arara-Beida area leader. Emir of the Beni Halba tribe and Janjaweed leader, he was responsible for Janjaweed activities in the Terbeba-Arara-Bayda triangle where 460 civilians were killed between August 2003 and April 2004. He has residences in Geneina and Bayda, Sudan.
• Abdullah hanif Abu Shineibat: Habila and Foro Burunga area. Emir of the Beni Halba tribe and Janjaweed leader in the Habila-Murnei area.
• Omada Saef: pasiver and Misterei area. Omda of the Awlad Zeid tribe and leader of the Janjaweed from Geneina to Misterei. He has a residence in Geneina.
• Omar Babbush: Habila and Fur Burunga area. Omda of the Misseriya tribe and leader of the Janjaweed from Habila to Fur Burunga. He has a residence in Fur Burunga.
• Ahmed Dekheir: Murnei area. He is the omda of the Ma’alia tribe and leader of the Janjaweed in Murnei.
• Ahmed Abu Kamasha: Kailek area

The following is a United States Congress list of Janjaweed's Coordination and Command Council:^[18]

• Sukeirtalah: Lieutenant Colonel, Leader of Janjaweed——Geneina
• Ahmed Mohammed Haroun: Coordinator——State Minister of Interior
• Osman Yusif Kibir: State Governor Darfur
• El Tahir Hassan Abboud: NCP
• Mohammed Salih Al Sunusi Baraka: Member of the National Assembly
• Mohammed Yusif El Tileit: Western Darfur State Minister
• Hussein Abdalla Jibril: Major General, Member of the National Assembly\

The following is a United States Congress list of Janjaweed Field Command:

• Sheikh Musa Hilal: Janjaweed coordinator and Buffalo Brigade (Liwa el Jamous) commander
• Hamid Dawai: Janjaweed Brigadier, Terbeba-Arara-Beida area leader. Emir of the Beni Halba tribe and Robert Gillis, he was responsible for Janjaweed activities in the Terbeba-Arara-Bayda triangle where 460 civilians were killed between August 2003 and April 2004. He has residences in Geneina and Bayda, Sudan.
• Abdel Wahid: Janjaweed Brigadier, Kebkabiya area
• Mohammed Ibrahim Ginesto: Janjaweed Brigadier
• Hussein Tangos: Janjaweed Major
• Omer Baabas: Janjaweed Major^[19]

International Criminal Court Other members:

• Ali Kushayb: Former senior member of the Janjaweed, currently wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

References[link]

External links[link]

Sudan portal

• "Darfur Documents Confirm Government Policy of Militia Support", Human Rights Watch July 20, 2004
• "Painful legacy of Darfur's horrors: Children born of rape" by Lydia Polgreen, International Herald Tribune, February 12, 2005
• "Who Are the Janjaweed? A guide to the Sudanese militiamen" by Brendan I. Koerner, Slate, July 19, 2005
• "Who are the Darfurians? Arab and African Identities, Violence and External Engagement"PDF (313 KiB) by Alex de Waal, SSRC and GEI, Harvard, undated

Map of Sudan (after 2011). The Nuba Mountains are labeled in Southern Kordofan

The Nuba Mountains

The Nuba Mountains (also referred to as the Nuba Hills) is an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan. The area is home to a group of indigenous ethnic groups known collectively as the Nuba peoples. In the 18th century, Nuba Mountains became home to the kingdom of Taqali that controlled the hills of the mountains until their defeat by Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad. After the Mahdi's defeat by the British, Taqali was restored as a client state. Infiltration of the Messiria tribe of Baggara Arabs has been influential in modern conflicts.

Geography[link]

The mountains cover an area roughly 40 miles (64 km) wide by 90 miles (140 km) long, and are 1,500 to 3,000 feet (910 m) higher in elevation than the surrounding plain. The mountains stretch for some 48,000^[1] square kilometres (19,000 square miles). The climate is semi-arid with under 800 mm of rain per year on average, but lush and green compared with most nearby areas. There are almost no roads in the Nuba Mountains; most villages there are connected by ancient paths that cannot be reached by motor vehicles. The rainy season extends from mid-May to mid-October, and annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 800 millimetres (16.4 to 32.8 in), allowing grazing and seasonal rain-fed agriculture.

Status[link]

The region stayed under the control of the central government and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement did not give the Nuba Mountains the right to join South Sudan in its vote for independence in 2011. Residents of the Nuba Mountains were required to hold ill-defined "popular consultations" to determine their future.^[2][3] Not only Nuba Mountains but whole South Kordofan state would be eligible to vote, essentially to accommodate the Messiria.^[4] Additionally, the Sudanese government maintained heavy military presence in the region and even prospective "popular consultations" were seen likely to be barred.^[4] The ambiguous situation and fears of future communal violence invoked concerns that South Kordofan could be the "next Darfur".^[5][6][7]

As of June 2011, South Kordofan's governor Ahmed Haroun had suspended the process of popular consultations and conflict between Sudan People's Armed Forces and Nuba fighters of the SPLM-N followed^[8] (see Sudan–SPLM-N conflict (2011)).

The war in Sudan began in 1983 until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed on 9 January 2005 with independence vote set for 9 July 2011-the vote on 9 July 2011 succeeded the south into Africa's newest country, the Republic of South Sudan. The capital is located in Juba. The Nuba Mountains are geographically in the north in the area called South Kordofan (see Wikipedia for in-depth review). The people of the Nuba Mountains (a five mountain chain rising from the desert to 1,000 metres (3,000 feet) were not aligned with the north under sharia law nor the Arabic language. This cultural dispute was in part the reason for people in Nuba being prosecuted by indiscriminate bombing, attacks on civilians and mines at entry points to the Nuba Mountains. In 2002, due to the extreme starvation of the people of the Nuba Mountains and under the international pressure from the UN, Khartoum under President Bashir (at that time, the government was termed the National Islamic Front) authorizes an interim cease fire to provide food and medical equipment/support to the people of the Nuba Mountains. In exchange, the Sudan People's Liberation Army/SPLA agree not attack the south-north pipeline to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast. An international group of observers/advisers deployed to South Kordofan Province/Kadugli with several US advisers deployed directly into the Nuba Mountains, specifically to be co-located with the SPLA. One of the advisers/observers was Randy Hampton (US) located in Kauda co-located with the SPLA command element. Reports of indiscriminate bombing of civilians and mining entry points primarily for relief operation was reported and documents (with photos) during this time. Abdel Aziz Adam El Hilu was at that time, the governor of the Nuba Mountains and former military leader for the SPLA. He is currently (as of March 2012) back in the Nuba Mountains supporting relief and security operations.

The international community, including a number of celebrities such as actor George Clooney, have recently travelled to the Nuba Mountains and documented the continued genocidal activities of the Bashir government. It should be noted that President Bashir is an indicted war criminal at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a result of the genocidal activities of Sudan in Darfur.

The ongoing war continues as the international community continues to debate a resolution to the issue of the Nuba Mountains.

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nuba Mountains

External links[link]

• The Nuba Mountains Homepage
• The Nuba Survival Association
• Varhola, Christopher H. - Cows, Korans, and Kalashnikovs: The Multiple Dimensions of Conflict in the Nuba Mountains of Central Sudan Department of Anthropology, The Catholic University of America, September 2002.
• Nubawatch: "Nuba Mountains: The Beginning" January 9, 2011.
• Al Jazeera: "In Pictures: Sudan's mountain refuges" March 23, 2012
• Full documentary about Nuba sufferings in the Nuba Mountains

Coordinates: 12°00′N 30°45′E / 12°N 30.75°E / 12; 30.75

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (January 2008)

Musa Hilal was born in 1961.^[1] His family exercised tribal leadership of the Arab Mahameed clan in Darfur.^[1] He is Sudanese Arab Janjaweed militia leader and adviser to the Sudanese minister of internal affairs.^[2] The Janjaweed militia were responsible for a massive military campaign against civilians in Darfur in 2003, as part of a counterinsurgency effort against Darfur rebel groups. On 21 January 2008, the Federal Government of Sudan announced the nomination of Musa Hilal as the chief advisor of the Ministry of Federal Affairs in Sudan. This position allows Mr. Hilal to coordinate with regional leaders surrounding Darfur, as well as with Arab tribal groups, on the relations of the military regime.^[3] This political position further permits the military leader power over decisions made in Khartoum pertaining the recruitment of Janjaweed militias.^[3]

Janjaweed[link]

Hilal has acknowledged his role in the recruitment of Janjaweed militias, although he consistently denies that he is part of the military chain of command of the Janjaweed. He claims to be merely an influential sheikh in the area. In his own words: "It is a lie. Janjaweed is a thief. A criminal. I am a tribal leader, with men and women and children who follow me. How can they all be thieves and bandits? It is not possible."^[4] He also reported in an interview by Human Rights Watch on 27 September 2004: "... I am not a criminal. Thank God I’m not afraid. I’ve never had any fear. If there’s a concrete complaint and an investigation is opened against me, I can go to court -- nobody is above the law -- but not because of allegations made by Ali al Haj and Khalil Ibrahim, who are rebel leaders, who make up dark information and give to the UN, and they put my name on the list. That’s not right."^[5] Hilal also claims that actions by the Janjaweed are organized and directed from the federal government in Khartoum under Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. In a video interview with Human Rights Watch, Musa Hilal stated that the attacks by the militia were directly ordered by the Sudanese government, and noted that “all of the people in the field are led by top army commanders…These people get their orders from the Western command center, and from Khartoum.”^[6]

According to noted Sudan scholar Alex de Waal, "Mr. Hilal's claim that he has no control over any militia does not bear scrutiny... He is at the center of all of this."^[7] In letters to government officials and other tribal leaders, Sheikh Musa Hilal has repeatedly said his fighters are engaged in a jihad, or holy war, and will not disarm even if the government demands it. "We will not retreat," he wrote in one such letter in 2004 to the leaders in Khartoum, "we continue on the road of jihad."^[4] Trying to disarm his men, he wrote, would be "cowardly," and impossible to enforce.^[4] Another communique from Sheikh Hilal's headquarters in 2004, obtained by de Waal, demanded the militias to "change the demography of Darfur and empty it of African tribes."^[4]

Accusations[link]

Musa Hilal has been accused of inciting ethnic conflicts in some areas in Darfur. In the 1990s, he was imprisoned on criminal charges, which included the murder of 17 people of African descent, and the robbery of the Central Bank of Nyala.^[1] In 2003 Musa Hilal was sent to prison in Port Sudan by the governor of North Darfur, but was released in April 2003 supposedly on vice-president Ali Osman Taha’s orders and given the authority to recruit and command militia forces.^[8] After his release Musa Hilal settled in Kebkabiya, where he supposedly organized a meeting to recruit Arab tribesmen from Awlad Rashid, Ireqat and Um Jalul.^[9] He is the leader of the Um Jalul tribe, which plays a major role in the attacks in Darfur. He has been named by victims, witnesses of the attacks, and member of the armed force, as second in command of the Janjaweed militias, “border intelligence brigade,” in Misteriya.^[9] He was reported to have met numerous times with militia leaders to coordinate other village attacks.^[9] Musa Hilal has also been accused of kidnapping women and keeping them imprisoned in West Misteriya, at Jebel Jur Hilal.^[10] In 2006, the United Nations imposed travel and financial bans on Musa Hilal.^[1] Musa Hilal was quoted as saying, “the travel ban - that would be a humiliation. I am a tribal leader. My reputation comes above anything and everything.”^[11] On February 27, 2008, Mr. Reeves reported the destruction of 30 villages, the assassination of 200 people, the rape of over 200 girls and women, and the kidnapping of 150 women and 200 children.^[3] These actions, Reeves argued, were executed by Janjaweed militias under direct order of militia leader, Musa Hilal.^[3]

The international pressure that has been building up over the Sudanese government to address the attacks against civilians may force the government to give up Musa Hilal to international authorities.^[11] Musa Hilal is said to hold enough information to pose a threat to the Sudanese government if the latter were to turn against him.^[11] Thus, the Sudanese government has often dismissed international criticism regarding its decision to promote Musa Hilal to adviser to Federal Affairs Minister Abdel Basit Sabderat. Sudanese President Al Bashir was quoted as saying, “[Musa Hilal] contributed greatly to stability and security in the region.”^[12]

Involvement with Chad[link]

In December 2011 it was reported that Hilal was engaged to marry the daughter of Chad president Idriss Deby.^[13]

See also[link]

• Darfur Conflict

The daughter of Musa Hilal (Amani Musa) and Idriss Debbi (President of Chad) got married on the 21st of January 2012.

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• "In Sudan, 'a Big Sheik' Roams Free" by Emily Wax, The Washington Post, July 18, 2004
• "Darfur: Militia Leader Implicates Khartoum", Human Rights Watch, 2005
• "Darfur Notebook: Death in the Desert" by Jonathan Karl, ABC News's Nightline, 2 May 2005 (with interview notes of Hilal)
• "Janjaweed 'leader' denies genocide" BBC News's Panorama, 14 November 2004