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History Professor Edward Alpers lectures Tuesday evening about the historical and political facto

Students and community members gathered Tuesday evening to learn about the complex history behind the current conflict in Darfur.

In a lecture titled “The Crisis in Darfur: A Concise History,” UCLA history Professor Edward Alpers outlined the political and historical factors that have led to a situation in which hundreds of thousands have died and even more have been displaced in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The situation – which the U.S. has labeled a genocide – was brought into international headlines in 2003 when rebel groups attacked the Sudanese government and the government responded with strong military force.

Alpers said the initial attacks on the Sudanese government by rebel groups were a cry for attention from civilians in the remote western region of Darfur, who were neglected during the nation’s development in the 20th century.

The rebel groups wanted Darfur “to be more a part of Sudan and more a part of (its) growing wealth,” he said.

As the rest of the nation grew and developed, the Darfur region was left out of the development.

“Darfur was neglected – in 1935 there were only four primary schools,” with an estimated 2.5 million people living in the region, Alpers said.

In response to rebel group attacks, the Sudanese government called on Muslim militia from northern Sudan, called “janjaweed,” for self-protection.

Since the initial use of janjaweed militia, countless villages have been destroyed, hundreds of thousands of civilians have died, and even more have been displaced.

So far little action in the region has been taken by the international community for various reasons, Alpers said.

The U.N. Security Council has not put strong sanctions on the government in part because China – who has veto power over any security council resolution – is opposed to sanctions because of their oil interests in the region, he said.

“China is absolutely opposed to sanctions because approximately one-quarter of China’s oil comes from Sudan right now,” Alpers said.

The U.S. also has not taken strong action in the region because it has strong anti-terrorist ties to the head of Sudan’s national intelligence service, Alpers said.

“Some of the best intelligence about Middle East terrorism that the United States gets is from Sudan’s intelligence service,” he said.

In a small audience of about 25, there was a mix of community members and students.

Henry DeBey, a fourth-year design and geography student, said he attended the lecture to educate himself on an issue he does not know much about but thinks is extremely important.

DeBey said as a student in the U.S. he often hears about many international issues but feels he is not directly affected by them.

“You can easily fall into the feeling of being caught in the bubble of the U.S. – Americans can rarely feel the repercussions (of a conflict) directly, though we hear a lot about it,” he said.

Karina Garcia, a member of UCLA’s Darfur Action Committee, said these kinds of events are important to inform the public about international issues.

“It’s important to have these experts to update us on what’s going on,” she said.