Mahmoud Murad investigates how the "armed horse-riding jinn" created an international crisis This week, Cairo will host talks aiming to resolve the Darfur crisis. For the talks to succeed, warring African tribes must first admit that the current conflict was not ignited by Arabs and Africans, but by a group of Arab cattle breeders known as the Janjaweed, or "the armed horse-riding jinn." The Janjaweed have destroyed farms and burned huts to acquire fodder for their cattle, the locals say -- a phenomenon most taxing in dry seasons. Abdul-Wahed Mohamed Ahmad Nour, head of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), will arrive in Cairo on Saturday. Since February, his army has been fighting the Janjaweed in Darfur on behalf of African tribes. Mohamed, Nour's assistant, arrived in Cairo last week to prepare for the visit. According to Mohamed, the indigenous African tribes of Darfur do not see themselves as engaged in a conflict with the Arab tribes, but with this specific group, the Janjaweed. Yet African tribes accuse the current Sudanese government, and previous ones, of aiding the Janjaweed. The African tribes also accuse the Sudanese government of neglecting the Darfur province, inhabited by 6.5 million people. They claim that the province has received inadequate economic development and has been left as prey to political rivals seeking to expand their domain of influence. These parties, Mohamed says, used to help register immigrants from neighbouring African countries as voters in the province, in return for their support in local elections. Two distinct sets of tribes live in Darfur. The African tribes primarily work in agriculture and speak in local dialects. The main African tribes are: Al-Fur, Al-Dagu, Al-Zaghawa, Al-Masalid, Al-Birgid and Al- Falata. These tribes are proud of their long history in the province -- between 1650 and 1916 they were in full control of the province, which was an independent kingdom, or sultanate, ruled by a succession of 27 sultans. Islam entered the region through Egypt, specifically through the Darb Al-Arbaeen trading route, along which a significant amount of cultural exchange took place. During WWI, the province lost its independence after its sultan, Ali Dinar, sided with the Ottomans against the British. The British attacked and annexed the province to Sudan. The main Arab tribes are: Al- Zureiqat, Al-Taaishah, Al-Salamat, Al-Turgum, Bani Hussein and Al- Saadah. The Arab tribes work in agriculture, trade and various services. Those tribe members who excel in horseback riding and hunting call themselves Janjaweed, an appellation said to blend three words: jinn (spirit), the English word "gun", and jawad (horse). Janjaweed, therefore, can be translated as a gun-toting, horse-riding fiend, so to speak. Darfur's Janjaweed do not own land, but roam with their large herds of cattle in areas of fertile pasture. They are quick-footed, powerful and good with guns, which they need to protect their wealth. Every year, the Janjaweed travel south after the harvest season, so that the cattle may feed on the remaining crops. Often, they clash with the locals, mainly when the cattle feed on farmland that is yet to be harvested, and in dry seasons when the harvesting takes place later than usual. The recent fighting in Darfur was triggered in such circumstances. But Darfur was already unstable. Years of neglect had intensified the sense of indignation in the province. The Janjaweed, relying on their powerful tribal associations, acted as callously as ever, and even hired trigger-happy foreigners from neighbouring countries. With foreign forces involved in the conflict, the ethnic character of the clashes became more pronounced. The United States of America is keen to intervene militarily in Sudan, using as a pretext the international media's gross exaggeration of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. And because the Sudanese government was busy addressing the troublesome questions of stability and the South, the Western media was able to issue embellished reports unchecked. Over 10 years ago, I accompanied Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir on a visit to Darfur and Kordofan. At the time, several development projects were just starting, most of them now discontinued due to domestic problems. One project, for example, involved the digging of 30 wells last March, as a first step to providing a permanent water source for drinking and irrigation. The project came to a halt when clashes broke out in the province. Darfur has three universities (Al- Fasher, Biyala and Zalinji), as well as high educational institutes and many schools. The province has a long tradition of education and boasts some of the oldest Azhar- affiliated institutes. Darfur has supplied Sudan with some of its key politicians. These include Ali Al- Hajj, Hassan Al-Turabi's second-in- command in the Popular Congress Party. Yet the estrangement felt in Darfur is equally felt in other parts of Sudan, and by both African and Arab tribes. Needless to say, the differentiation between Arab and African is largely fictional, for it is hard to argue that all the Arab tribes have immigrated from the Arab peninsula. In many cases, the Arabs arrived as traders and intermarried with the locals. It is best for all to act as Sudanese first and foremost, regardless of tribal affiliation, at least according to two prominent Darfur groups who speak on behalf of the African tribes. The Sudanese Liberation Movement, led by Abdul-Wahed Nour, and the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Khalil Ibrahim, have reached the conclusion that the current conflict in Darfur is not between Arabs and Africans, but between everyone and the Janjaweed. Mohamed, deputy leader of the SLA, assured me that the movement is not receiving aid from abroad, has no links with Israel or any other foreign power, does not want to jeopardise Sudan's integrity, and rejects secession and foreign intervention. These demands stand in harmony with the Sudanese government's position. This provides a source of optimism concerning this week's Cairo talks. If the Sudanese government were to reach an understanding with the African and Arab tribes of Darfur, it would be possible for all sides to force the Janjaweed, led by Musa Helal, to accept peace. A fact-finding committee should then be formed to ascertain what happened and to decide who was responsible for the violence. This should be followed by a comprehensive development plan for the entire province, since Darfur, as well as other Sudanese provinces, have been neglected for too long. The Darfur community in Egypt Thousands of Darfurians live in Egypt, although no accurate statistics are available. According to Ahmad Hasan Mohamed, president of the General Association for Darfurians in Egypt, there are four societies serving the Darfur community in Egypt: (a) the Sons of Darfur Society, with 300 registered and 400 unregistered members; (b) the Sons of Al- Masalid Society, with 300 registered and 250 unregistered members; (c) the Sons of Al-Tama Society, with 400 unregistered members; and (d) the Sons of Al-Zaghawa, with 200 registered and 300 unregistered members. The societies have formed a general association, headed by Ahmad Hasan, a Cairo University graduate. And Abdel-Shakhur Khamis heads the coordination effort among the various societies. According to Ahmad Hassan, thousands of Darfurians studied in Egyptian universities, including that of Al-Azhar. Mohamed, assistant leader of the Sudanese Liberation Movement, said that he graduated from an Egyptian university. His cohort, he adds, includes 14,000 Sudanese graduates, including 4,000 from Darfur. Mohamed notes that the other movement representing African tribes in Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement, is led by a Cairo graduate, Khalil Ibrahim, and includes a large number of Egyptian-educated Sudanese.
