Janjaweed
| Janjaweed جنجويد |
|
|---|---|
| Leader(s) | Musa Hilal |
| Dates of operation | 1987 - present |
| Active region(s) | North Africa |
| Ideology | Arab Ethnic nationalism (Arabocentric) |
| Status | Active |
| Size | Unknown about 8 average (less than 25,000 est.) |
| War in Darfur |
|---|
 |
| Timeline |
| International response |
| UNMIS / AMIS / UNAMID |
| ICC investigation |
| Combatants |
| SLM |
| JEM |
| LJM |
| Janjaweed |
| Other articles |
| History of Darfur |
| Bibliography |
The Janjaweed (Arabic: جنجويد janjawīd; also transliterated Janjawid) are a militia that operate in western Sudan and eastern Chad. Using the United Nations definition, the Janjaweed comprised Sudanese Arab tribes, the core of whom are from the Abbala (camel herder) background with significant recruitment from the Baggara (cattle herder) people. This UN definition may not necessarily be accurate, as instances of members from other tribes have been noted.
In the past, they were at odds with Darfur's sedentary population over natural grazing grounds and farmland, as rainfall dwindled and water became scarce. They are currently in conflict with Darfur rebel groups—the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. Since 2003 they have been one of the main players in the Darfur conflict, which has pitted the largely nomadic tribes against the sedentary population of the region in a battle over resource and land allocation.
The origin of the word Janjaweed is unclear. It has been translated into English as "devils on horseback" from the Arabic words جن jinn "demon" and أَجَاوِيد 'ajāwīd "horses". Other sources suggest its origin comes from the Persian word جنگوی jangawi, meaning "warrior", or a portmanteau of three words: جَن jan, after English "gun"; jinn; and 'ajawīd.
In 1972, Muammar al-Gaddafi created the Islamic Legion as a tool to unify and Arabize the region. The priority of the Legion was first Chad, and then Sudan.
In Darfur, a western province of Sudan, Gaddafi supported the creation of the Arab Gathering (Tajammu al-Arabi), which according to Gérard Prunier was "a militantly racist and pan-Arabist organization which stressed the 'Arab' character of the province." The two organizations shared members and a source of support, and the distinction between the two is often ambiguous.
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