T. L. DEITCH Candidate of Historical Sciences The embers of the conflict in the Sudanese province of Darfur have been smoldering since the 1970s.The roots of the problem are the domination of politics, local administration and business by Sudanese of Arab origin, which caused protest among the non-Arab population of the province. Unresolved economic, social and political problems, as well as a severe drought that worsened the situation at the beginning of the new millennium, led to the fact that these embers ignited a hot flame in February 2003. According to the UN, as a result of military operations, as well as from hunger and disease, 300 thousand people died; more than 3.5 million lost their homes.1 GENOCIDE OR VIOLENCE? The West accuses the Sudanese Government of supporting the Janjaweed militants and aiding genocide against the black population of Darfur. During the UN Security Council delegation's visit to Darfur in June 2008, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, L. M. Ocampo, presented a report on the situation in the region, which stated that all the structures of the Sudanese State apparatus were involved in crimes against humanity in Darfur. 2 Among Sudan's population of 40 million, 70% are Sunni Muslims, 25% are adherents of local beliefs, and 5% are Christians. The fact that African Muslims kill their co-religionists and adherents of other faiths in the course of tribal conflicts, according to many scientists and politicians, can hardly be called genocide. Alex de Waal, a Sudan expert, noted: "The claim that 'Arabs' are fighting 'Africans' in Darfur is not true. The Arabs of Darfur are the local dark-skinned inhabitants. They are African and Muslim, as are the non-Arabs of Darfur."3. A special EU commission visited Darfur. Its participants found no evidence of genocide, despite the fact that the situation in the province is extremely difficult. As Rodolfo Adada, who led the African Union (AU) - UN hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID), ... Read more