The Darfur region of western Sudan is beset by numerous layers of violence: rebel groups fighting against Sudanese government forces, irregular militias fighting against rebel groups, and nomad groups fighting other nomad groups over limited resources.
During more than a decade of open conflict, the horrors of Darfur have been symbolized by the rifle-wielding, horse-riding Janjaweed, a largely Arab nomad militia backed by the Sudanese government in its fight against the rebellion. While Janjaweed fighters constitute only a tiny fraction of Darfur's nomad and seminomad peoples, tribes in the region have long been unfairly associated en masse with the group.
The full article originially appears in The Christian Science Monitor.