WHEN large-scale violence erupts in some obscure part of Africa, it's not always easy for Americans to figure out what's going on.

But Mohammat Abdallah Arbab, who has fled such violence, insists the situation in his homeland is straightforward.

"The government of Sudan wants to kill all black men," the teacher from Darfur said matter-of-factly, as if he were imparting a simple grammar rule to his pupils.

Arbab has reason to reach this conclusion. Tens of thousands of ethnic Africans, or blacks, have died in Darfur because of government-orchestrated violence in the past year and a half. Men and boys often seem to be targeted for death.

In another black-dominated region southeast of Darfur, war and war-related famine have claimed the lives of at least 2 million people in the past 21 years.

Many people left homeless by the systematic violence in Darfur agree with Arbab. A young woman from the village of Abu Gamra, who identified herself only by her first name, Koubno, said: "They began to kill all the black people because they are more numerous. They had been planning for a long time to kill all the black people."

Blacks make up about 60 percent of Darfur's population and 52 percent of Sudan as a whole. But the minority Arab population controls the government in Khartoum.

Many refugees say Arab militiamen expressed enmity toward ethnic blacks--who in fact may be no darker-skinned than many ethnic Arabs--during attacks on their villages.

Sudan's Christian holocaust? Culpeper man documents atrocities in southern Sudan By RICK MERCIER It's the "hidden holocaust," says Brad Phillips of the Culpeper-based Persecution Project Foundation. Since civil war erupted in southern Sudan in 1983, more than 2 million people have died and at least 4 million have been driven from their homes. Many victims of the violence and related famines have been Christian civilians. Although rebels also are accused of abuses, human-rights experts say Khartoum is responsible for the lion's share of the atrocities committed against the region's ethnic Africans. 1  2  3  4  5  Next Page   Date published: 10/25/2004 Breaking News - click here to have the latest delivered to your email box or cell phone Comments guidelines 1. Be respectful. No personal attacks. 2. Please avoid offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or defamatory language. 3. Read and follow THE RULES. 4. We will block violaters and ban repeat offenders. Most Viewed Culpeper motorcyclist dies from injuries after car pulls in path Some Gave All keeps giving Crowd turns out for Alan Jackson concert in Mineral Fatal accident in Stafford overnight (not set) Will UDAs be DOA in Stafford? Half tests racers minds, bodies