According To The United Nations

According to the United Nations, of an estimated population of 6.5 million in Sudan's Darfur region, more than 2 million people are being affected by an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Sudanese government and its proxies against the region's black African population. The government-supported Arab militias-collectively known as "Janjaweed"-have attacked the civilian populations of the Fur, Masaalit, and Zaghawa ethnic communities, bombed and scorched entire villages and towns, destroyed water sources and food stores, and systematically targeted black African civilians for mass killings, rape, and slave raids. Janjaweed ride through villages slashing, burning and killing black Africans and their homes and belongings, as well as raping women and children. There are about 20,000 Janjaweed militia fighters who separate into distinctive groups and plan attacks that are efficient and deadly. Attacks are often followed by government sanctioned aerial attacks that consist of hurling barrels of nails, car chassis, and old applicanes from planes to crush people and property. In the past year, an estimated 30,000 civilians have lost their lives; more than one million civilians have been internally displaced; and more than 200,000 have fled to neighboring Chad, according to U.N. figures. Refugee camps in Chad endure persistent assaults from the Janjaweed militia. There are an estimated 137 displaced camps and only 75 have been visited by aid organizations. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that the humanitarian crisis could claim 350,000 additional lives within the next nine months, mainly from starvation and disease. Ongoing assessments by independent organizations such as Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) suggest that USAID’s estimate may be conservative. If aid is denied or unavailable, as many as one million people could perish. In Darfur and Chad, sanitation remains grossly inadequate, clean water is extremely limited, and very high rates of malnutrition, particularly among children, continue. A recent UN report cited the lack of clean water as the main cause of malnutrition, as it has resulted in rampant diarrhea. These health problems are exacerbated as the rainy season begins, particularly in the overcrowded refugee camps. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that cholera, dysentery, and malaria threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people. There are currently over 2 million people “at risk,” not including large numbers of people who are not accounted for or reachable. According to the International Rescue Committee, 3,000 people will die every day for the next 100 days, mostly of disease. About 75% of these deaths will be children younger than five years old. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is about to issue its first ever genocide emergency.

On July 22, 2009, an international tribunal redefined the borders of the disputed region, overruling a decision by an international commission that Sudan's government rejected four years ago Earlier in the year, Mr. al-Bashir was charged by the International Criminal Court with five counts of crimes against humanity. Official Name: Republic of Sudan Capital: Khartoum (Current local time) Government Type: Government of National Unity (GNU), the National Congress Party (NCP)

and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement; the agreement stipulates national elections for the 20082009 timeframe Chief of State: Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, president Population: 39.38 million Area: 967,500 square miles; almost the size of continental U.S. east of the Mississippi River Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English Literacy: Total Population: [61%] Male: [71%]; Female: [52%] GDP Per Capita: $2,100 Year of Independence: 1956

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/sudan/index.html ?scp=1-spot&sq=darfur&st=cse