Janjaweed

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Janjaweed Full Name: The Janjaweed Alias: The Devils on Horseback Origin: Chad, North Africa Foundation: Approx. 1988 headquarters Sudan Commanders: Musa Hilal Goals: Elimnate the non-Arab population of Darfur.

“	The Sudanese government has unleashed African Arabs, called the Janjaweed, to wipe out tribal blacks. The name 'Sudan' ironically, is Arabic, meaning 'land of the blacks.' But the Janjaweed is rewriting that history in blood. Janjaweed, by the way, has a translation, too. It means 'evil on horseback.'	„
	~ 60 Minutes, "Witnessing Genocide in Sudan"

The Janjaweed (Arabic: جنجويد‎, translit. Janjawīd; also transliterated Janjawid) are a terrorist militia group that primarily operates in the Darfur region of Sudan, as well as parts of Eastern Chad, in Africa. They are the group that is primarily responsible for the War in Darfur, committing multiple atrocities of murder, rape, torture, and other crimes against humanity.

In English, the Janjaweed's name means Devils on Horseback. It can also be interpreted as Evil on Horseback.

Though the militia has existed since approximately 1988, they didn't come to prominence until early 2003 (the official beginning of the Darfur conflict) when rebel groups began accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arabs in Darfur. The government then began funding and arming the Janjaweed and directing them to begin a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the region that has been raging ever since.

Though the Sudanese government has repeatedly denied that they are involved with the Janjaweed, it has been confirmed that multiple high-ranking Sudanese government officials are members of the militia's leadership - particularly Musa Hilal, the chief advisor of the Sudanese Ministry of Federal Affairs - who appears to serve as the group's overall field commander. Also, an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that the Janjaweed's activities are overseen by the President of Sudan himself, Omar al-Bashir, which has lead the ICC to issue a warrant for his arrest on multiple counts of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, though al-Bashir has also vehemently denied this. Because Sudan does not formally recognize the ICC, as of 2019, al-Bashir has been able to stay in power despite the outstanding warrant for his arrest.

It has been estimated that the Janjaweed are responsible for the deaths of close to between 100,000 and 400,000 people, according to the United Nations. The conflict in Darfur is still ongoing as of 2019, though the violence has decreased significantly and the region is considered stable, though the organization will likely continue to remain a threat as long as Omar al-Bashir remains in power and his associates remain at large.

It is as of yet unknown how the Janjaweed will be affected by the ousting of President al-Bashir in April 2019.