Interplay of Ethnic and Gender Factors in Deepening Poverty in Conflict Areas in West Darfur State

Abstract

Since the eruption of violent conflict in Darfur between the government and armed movements in 2003, analyses varied from those stressing identity to those emphasizing control and access to resources. This thesis integrates both lines of analysis by maintaining that issues pertaining to identity and governance are not isolated from access and control over resources by competing sectors. A major concern is to probe deep into extent to which ethnicity has been used by competing groups as a convenient denominator to mediate and legitimize struggle over resources? And how these elements have affected women’s livelihood and rights. The research uses descriptive and historical methodology and case study method and for data collection a number of techniques were adopted; these included participant observation, interviews, official documents, and reports on conflict resolution and compensation, field surveys and disaggregated statistical data on women status and livelihoods reports. Analysis of research material has led to a number of findings. One major finding is that; in the course of conflict in Darfur, particularly between Arab and Fur conflict in 1987-1989 and afterwards, women’s livelihood deteriorated signaling a powerful intertwines between ethnicization and feminization of poverty. With drastic changes in gender roles and gender relations, women from marginalized Zurgha groups came to bear more responsibilities and to device strategies not only for survival but for resistance. Therefore, gender roles and responsibilities were changed rapidly as more women took the tasks done previously by men when their husbands and children died during the conflict. Zurgha groups showing remarkable resilience by generating new leadership and new skills in organizations belonged to their Shura Council in addition women from Zurgha groups have high skills and potentials in political and social mobilization as they regarded themselves as war victims and changed their livelihood situation. The ethnicity factor that used during the Arab versus Fur; and Masaleet versus Arabs conflicts in the early 1980s was a mobilizing factor for power control and social status, while the conflicts among Arabs ethnic groups after 2006, ethnicity was used as a sources of gaining economic and political power only. Along with this, gender factors emerged in conflict dimensions as women were mostly affected by conflict, they have been exposed to sexual abuses, sexual violence, forced pregnancies and , rape; in addition some women became widows after losing their husbands due to the war. On the other hand the tribal reconciliation conferences reflected a decline in the efficacy of indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms compared to the period of 1970s and 1980s; and this was mainly due to less government intervention in native administration system in the past compared to the present. But recently, since the beginning of the 1990s onwards the situation has changed as the current government used to politicize the native administration system. The major findings of the research are: 1. Achieving equal social and economic development will mitigate the possibility of emerging new conflicts to erupt. Moreover the reconstruction of Darfur regions requires providing income generating activities to both farmers and pastoralists who lost their prosperities during the conflict. 2. New education system should be developed by the government ministry lines to develop a new curriculum to integrate peace, identity, development, justice, and equality and conflict studies into education system so as to create new generation having new ideas on how to live together and respect each other. 3. Further studies in measuring poverty and its dimensions should be taken by the government related institutions and international organizations working in the field in Darfur to provide aggregated data for those who living under poverty line.