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Livelihoods in Darfur are intimately linked to the conflict. This document considers the livelihoods of the Northern Rizaygat, a group of Arabic-speaking, camel-herding nomads living in the Sudanese states of North, South, and West Darfur. The Northern Rizaygat have achieved notoriety for their role in the Janjaweed, the loose groupings of armed Arab tribesmen, who, since 2003, have been integral players in Darfur’s conflict and instrumental to the Sudanese government’s counterinsurgency campaign. The authors of this document use a livelihoods lens to illustrate the processes that shaped the vulnerability of the Northern Rizaygat, and brought them to the point where they were willing to actively support the counterinsurgency against the Darfuri rebels. The authors argue that lessons learned from this specific case have broader implications not only for prospects of peace and recovery in Darfur, but also for policies around pastoralism, land tenure security, climate adaptation, natural resource management, and humanitarian intervention. The document provides a background on the Northern Rizaygat. The authors argue that it was the particular vulnerability of the Northern Rizaygat’s livelihoods that drove them to actively join the government’s counterinsurgency strategy in 2004. The document argues that people should not be distracted by spurious notions of ethnicity, disparaging attitudes towards nomads, and demonization of the Northern Rizaygat for becoming embroiled in a conflict not of their making. The following recommendations are given:
a field-based participatory policy review of pastoralism is needed
there is a need for a comprehensive advocacy strategy on camel pastoralism and the Arab Aballa
localization of the peace process and strengthening linkages is required from the local to the higher-level peace processes
human and social development should be adapted to pastoralist livelihoods
a new generation of leadership should be encouraged which articulates development needs in the context of pastoralism.
