Darfur and the genocide debate

The atrocities committed by the Government of Sudan backed Janjaweed militia in the ongoing conflict in Darfur have been labelled differently by analysts and scholars. While some argue that the crimes fall under the so-called crime of crimes – genocide, others are of the opinion that the crimes do not qualify as genocide. While the international community is playing a ‘labelling’ game with the situation in Darfur, civilians continue to die. What should interest the civilians more is that the international community offers them the protection as articulated under the different international conventions.