Darfur an environmental conflict?

[Revy]

I read that the Arabic-speaking Sudanese have a pastoralist lifestyle, but live in more arid regions, which are under more threat from desertification and drought (can anybody say climate change?)

Darfur, however, has a rainy season in the summer, and has many farming communities.

http://www.caritas.org.au/SSphotoalbum/SUD_Darfur_Sept07_ACT-Carit.jpg
(Picture of a Darfurian farm)

So is this another water war? Or would that be too simplistic?

[h0m0revolutionary]

I think one of the reasons the left pay so little attention to Darfur, contrast Palestine for example, is because the situation is so complex.

There certainly is the factor you described above, but added to this is a fight over gang warfare, minerals, water reserves and of course this could be viewed as a proxy battle between the US and China both of whom have competing interests in the area and fund different sides of the conflict.

[Picky Bugger]

I read that the Arabic-speaking Sudanese have a pastoralist lifestyle, but live in more arid regions, which are under more threat from desertification and drought (can anybody say climate change?)

Darfur, however, has a rainy season in the summer, and has many farming communities.

So is this another water war? Or would that be too simplistic?

From what I can remember desertification is not directly affected by CC although it is possible that the higher the temperature increase the faster desertification would increase. Farming on arid land is much more harmful to the local area than in temperate regions and so it damages the land much quicker etc.

I think you are probably simplifying to nature and causes of the conflict too much, it isn't really a water war but it may be a factor.