Darfur: The Long Road to Disaster

Images of the genocide in Darfur have shocked the Western world: Upwards of 300,000 of itsinhabitants have died, and another 2.5 million have become refugees. Those affected by the violenceare estimated at almost 4 million, 700,000 of whom are now beyond the reach of humanitarianassistance. These are staggering numbers, and the fractious insurgent groups involved?Islamist Arab tribal militias against Christian black Africans and other militias made up of desertersof the Chad Army'were and still are supported to kill, rob, and terrorize by the governmentsof the neighboring states of the Sudan, Chad, and Libya. These are the consequences of adecades-long war, as J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins explained in their earlier book, Africa'sThirty Years War: Libya, Chad, and the Sudan, 1963?1993. The Long Road to Disaster in Darfurupdates this study and covers the events of the last thirteen years.Reviews of Africa's Thirty Years War?A lively detailed and informative study?The authors consider ethnic, religious, cultural, technological,geographic, and meteorological variables and present brief enlightening political portraitsof the stories? protagonists. Historically situating the war within the struggle for supremacy alongthe borders of the Islamic world, the book seeks to explain why so many governments invested somuch for so long in the control of such seemingly worthless expanses of sand and rock.'?Foreign Affairs?This is a fine work, well documented and well argued, and convincing.'?Journal of Military History?This fascinating study combines analytical depth with accessible lucidity. It should be essentialreading for any student of African history and politics.' ?African Studies Review?a timely, useful contribution. ? The volume is replete with meticulous detail. ?well documentedand lucidly written'useful for years to come.' ?International Journal of Middle Eastern StudiesRobert O. Collins is the author of 'Darfur: The Long Road to Disaster', published 2006 under ISBN 9781558764040 and ISBN 1558764046.