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Factions that are factors in Darfur

May 14, 2006

JANJAWEED: Translated from Arabic as "armed man on a horse." Though the government says the janjaweed are independent thugs over whom it has no control, international investigators say they are fighters recruited by the government from nomadic, Arab-dominated tribes to fight alongside soldiers.

POPULAR DEFENSE FORCE

MILITIA: A government reserve force called into service in times of crisis.

SUDAN LIBERATION ARMY: One of the main rebel groups that took up arms in February 2003 in response, it said, to government neglect of the Darfur region and its non-Arab tribes. The SLA is split into two factions, one of which signed a peace deal May 5 with the Sudanese government calling for it to provide Darfur with $200 million annually; compensation for war victims; and allowing a regional government if voters approve it. The other SLA faction rejected the deal. SLA military leaders claim 20,000-30,000 fighters, while foreign intelligence experts estimate the group's strength at about 6,000-7,000.

THE JUSTICE AND EQUALITY MOVEMENT: The other main rebel group, which also opposed the peace deal, claims 7,000 fighters in Darfur, a number the SLA says is greatly exagerrated. The movement was founded by supporters of Hassan al-Turabi, the former speaker of Parliament and a staunch Islamist. Al-Turabi was ousted from government after a falling-out with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 1999, in which al-Turabi's supporters were pushed from positions of power that they held.

THE AFRICAN UNION: Organization has 7,700 troops from several African countries, mainly Nigeria, on the ground in Darfur. They include 1,500 unarmed civilian police. The troops have no arrest powers, and their mandate is to monitor an April 2004 cease-fire and contribute to a secure environment so that aid can be delivered and displaced civilians can return to their homes.