2003 is the year that two Darfuri rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, began to fight with the government. The conflict is said to have started when a lack rainfall made farmable land much more scarce, and much more lucrative. The nomadic tribes are in need of this land but so is the government. The government retaliated by dispatching the Janjaweed, also known as "the devils on horseback". The Janjaweed are a large militia group that has now been absorbed in the main Sudanese army. The Janjaweed attacked hundreds of villages and millions of people were forced to abandon their homes*. There are many reports of the Janjaweed raping women and young girls. The farmers are primary targets because they own the land that is most useful. The exact amount of casualties is impossible to know, but it is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands*. Many people starve to death because constant bombings make agriculture impossible. Africans are specifically being targeted by the Janjaweed while the government still denies any affiliation with the Janjaweed. In 2005 investigations were launched to stop any human rights violations, but the Sudanese government would not comply*. There have been a few attempts at peace treaties, but none have yet come to fruition. The UN has also set up peacekeeping operations but these have had minimal success', mostly due to the danger the region. Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is convicted with mass killing, rape, and pillaging of civilians. The conflict still continues to this day with no significant signs of improvement.
*http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide-in-sudan.htm
*http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide-in-sudan.htm