After Janjaweed? Socioeconomic Impacts of the Conflict in Darfur

Abstract

This article uses a unique database on 542 villages in southwestern Darfur to analyze patterns of land reallocation and population change that have emerged as a consequence of the recent conflict. The analysis demonstrates that a displacement from this region alone of more than 300,000 people from three targeted African groups has occurred and that villages have been repopulated by Arab and other African groups. Almost a fourth of all villages have been squatted by newly settled populations. The probability of squatting is shown to be largest in peripheral areas with good access to surface water, where soils are of good quality, and where many households from targeted tribes previously lived. A key challenge for postconflict reconstruction will therefore be the restoration of rights to land.