Janjaweed

The Janjaweed, thought to be an Arabic colloquialism meaning “a man with a gun on a horse,” is a group of armed gunmen in the western Sudan region of Darfur and eastern Chad.  The United Nations defines the Janjaweed as nomadic Arabic-speaking African tribes, the majority of which are from Abbala (camel herder) background with significant recruitment from the Baggara (cattle herder) people.  They are currently in conflict with Darfur rebel groups, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), since 2003.  There are several accusations that the Sudanese government has employed the Janjaweed as a type of militia, a charge the government continues to deny.   

For more information, please see:

Slate.com – Who Are the Janjaweed?

BBC News – Sudan’s shadowy Arab militia