Janjaweed
The Janjaweed () are a Sudanese Arab Baggara nomad militia group operating in the Sahel region, specifically in Sudan, particularly in Darfur and eastern Chad. They have also been speculated to be active in Yemen. According to the United Nations definition, Janjaweed membership consists of Arab nomad tribes from the Sahel, the core of whom are Abbala Arabs, traditionally employed in camel herding, with significant recruitment from the Baggara.
Key facts
- Militant organization.battles
- War in Darfur Darfur genocide Second Libyan Civil War Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen Sudanese civil war (2023–present) Battle of Geneina Darfur genocide (2023–present) Masalit genocide Ardamata massacre El Fasher massacre
- Militant organization.successor
- Rapid Support Forces (de facto)
- Militant organization.predecessor
- Islamic LegionTajammu al-ArabiMuraheleen
- Militant organization.name
- Janjaweed
- Militant organization.leader
- Multiple leaders, including Musa Hilal, Ali Kushayb and HemedtiAbd–Al-Rahman
- Militant organization.dates
- 1987–present
- Militant organization.ideology
- TribalismAnti-Black racism
- Militant organization.opponents
- 23px Sudanese Armed Forces (since 15 April 2023) Supreme Political Council Government of National Accord Sudan Liberation Movement/Army
- Militant organization.partof
- 23px Sudanese Armed Forces (de jure, until 2023)23px Rapid Support Forces (majority, since 2013)
- Militant organization.status
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Civil war
- References
- External links
The Janjaweed () are a Sudanese Arab Baggara nomad militia group operating in the Sahel region, specifically in Sudan, particularly in Darfur and eastern Chad. They have also been speculated to be active in Yemen. According to the United Nations definition, Janjaweed membership consists of Arab nomad tribes from the Sahel, the core of whom are Abbala Arabs, traditionally employed in camel herding, with significant recruitment from the Baggara.
Janjaweed nomads were initially at odds with Darfur's sedentary population due to competition over grazing grounds and farmland, a conflict exacerbated by drought. The Janjaweed were a major player in the Darfur conflict between 2003 and 2020, in opposition to the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement rebels. In 2013, the Rapid Support Forces grew out of the Janjaweed.