This deadly civil war started with two groups, the Arabs and the non-Arabs (Africans). For many years these two groups were known rivals, fighting over land, food, and water, but the tension grew further when Darfur entered a drought for over twenty-five years.
The the farmers (non-Arabs) blamed the mostly Arab government for not supplying Darfur with basic needs such as education and especially economic development. The non-Arabs formed a independence movement in 2003 and gathered as many people as possible. They began attacking many government installations including the airport in North Darfur. The government was already in a war, but they rounded up members of nomadic Arab tribes who then went and plundered villages that sometimes grew non-Arab rebel supporters. The Arab-nomadic militia soon became known as "devils on horseback" or janjaweed. The janjaweed killed livestock, made water undrinkable, treated the women and girls horribly with no respect, and basically killed or tortured anything or anyone that got in their way of destroying.
It is very difficult to live in Darfur right now and people are struggling for survival. They live in terror with all of the hunger, violence, and fighting.
