Darfur's agony: does even more misery lie ahead for this wartorn region of Sudan?

• Author: Polgreen, Lydia
• Position: INTERNATIONAL

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SINCE THE HORRORS BEGAN IN 2003, at least 200,000 civilians have been killed in Darfur--a vast, arid region of western Sudan with a population of about 6 million. More than 2.5 million people have been displaced and are living in refugee camps, mostly in neighboring Chad.

The conflict pits Arab Africans against black Africans. (Both groups are Muslim.) It started when rebels demanded greater political and economic rights for black Darfurians from the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in Khartoum. The government responded by turning loose Arab militias known as janjaweed. On horses and camels, they stormed black villages, torching huts, stealing cattle, destroying crops, and raping and killing villagers. Janjaweed attacks were often accompanied by Sudanese bombers and ground troops.

The United Nations has called the conflict in Darfur "the world's worst humanitarian crisis." Many in the international community, including President Bush, have denounced the slaughter as genocide, which is defined as the systematic destruction of a racial or cultural group.

Over the past three years, the violence became more sporadic. Although Darfur remained a deadly place, large-scale attacks were rare. But now, the brutal attacks have resumed. In recent weeks, the Sudanese government has carried out a series of coordinated attacks, using air power, ground forces, and--according to witnesses--the janjaweed.

In February, the janjaweed stormed the town of Suleia. They burned houses, looted shops, and shot anyone who stood in their way. Aid workers and diplomats say the return to large-scale attacks is a sign that the Sudanese government is planning a scorched-earth campaign against the rebel groups.

MORE REFUGEES

Government officials say strikes have been carefully aimed at rebels, not civilians, and that the janjaweed were not involved. They say rebels have hijacked aid vehicles and prevented peacekeepers from patrolling the area, events that some aid workers and peacekeepers have confirmed.

But residents of the towns say the rebels were long gone when the government attacks began. Survivors describe a series of assaults that left dozens dead and scattered tens of thousands of fearful residents. The U.N. estimates that the recent fighting has forced an additional 45,000 people to flee their homes in Darfur. Some fled to Chad, others to Jebel Moon, a rebel stronghold.

Sudan has long resisted U.N. involvement. A combined U.N. and African...