According to the United Nations, violence has claimed more than 20,000 lives in Darfur, while displacement and malnutrition have endangered more than 3,000,000 people.
1970s—Tensions mounted between African and Arab Muslims in the Darfur region of Sudan over scarce natural resources.
February 2003—African Muslims rebelled against Darfur's Khartoum government, which mainly consists of wealthy Arab elites.
2003 to 2006—Droughts further inflamed rivalries between semi-nomadic herders (primarily Arab) and farmers (primarily non-Arab black Africans) who compete for resources.
July 2004—U.S. Congress labeled conflict a state-sponsored genocide; former Secretary of State Colin Powell affirmed the classification after investigating the region; called upon the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention for the first time in the 21st Century. Convention classified genocide as punishable under international law and is currently ratified by 137 states.
Summer 2004—UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan dismissed the genocide label, and instead called the conflict more akin to ethnic cleansing.
May 5, 2006—After years of ineffective resolutions and threats to secure peace in the region, the Sudanese government and main rebel group signed a peace deal despite opposition from splinter rebel factions.
May 16, 2006—UN passed a unanimous resolution to prepare to assume control of an African, Union-led peacekeeping by Sep. 30, 2006. The Security Council threatened strong consequences against individuals or groups who thwart the peace deal and implored members who have not signed the agreement to do so immediately.
