Crisis in Sudan

Conflict has escalated in the Darfur region of western Sudan in recent months. Government forces and militias supported by the government, the Janjaweed, have targeted the civilian population for gross violations of human rights that are approaching the dimensions of genocide. Attempts by local human rights defenders to protest against this brutal assault have been ignored or stifled by government authorities.

There has been a series of recent attempts to silence human rights defenders in the Darfur region. Individuals willing to describe atrocities they have witnessed to international organizations have also been targeted.