The Crisis in Darfur: an Analysis of Its Origins and Storylines

The research for this paper evolved from information that can be found in Lexis Nexis Academic and in the public domain, including newspapers and other media on the situation in the Sudan's western region of Darfur. This paper argues that the Darfur crisis is an outcome of Khartoum elites' attempt to obtain absolute control of national wealth and power over the entire Sudan. Structural violence, in the form of pervasive discrimination, marginalization and inequality, created resentment and resistance that triggered overt violence. Secondly, it argues that the situation is described differently, therefore, is subscripted to different storylines which are open to the manipulation of practical geopolitics. There is a gap between naming and acting toward the situation. As the result, the strategic significance in resolving the crisis is undermined, and human security in Darfur remains dire.