Beyond ‘Janjaweed’ : Understanding the Militias of Darfur

This Working Paper examines the mobilization of 2003–04, who supported it and who did not—and why. It attempts to distinguish this period of the war from the years that followed. While recognizing that terrible things happened, with long-lasting destructive consequences, it argues that the conflict, the militias, and their role all changed over time—a fact lost in a continuing narrative of ‘janjaweed’ and ‘victims’.

The paper was originally published by the Small Arms Survey.