Crisis in Darfur

Crisis in Darfur (2009 Update)

Burning village in Darfur, Sudan

In partnership with Google Earth, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is releasing compelling new visual evidence of the destruction in Darfur.

What’s New?

New information from the US State Department identifies more than 3,300 Darfur villages as damaged or completely destroyed, twice the number that were confirmed when Crisis in Darfur launched in 2007.
Additional details about when villages were destroyed. The data now include for most of the villages the exact year or a year range when they were destroyed. This confirms that over 2,000 villages were destroyed by 2005, marking the height of the conflict.
Hundreds of before and after satellite images. Now you can use Google Earth's historical imagery to see villages before and after they were attacked and destroyed.
Coming soon: narrated flyover tour and a map of destroyed villages by year.

How to access the Crisis in Darfur layers in Google Earth

1. Download and install Google Earth (external link).

Once launched, go to the layers list, expand the Global Awareness layer
Check USHMM: Crisis in Darfur

2. Download the Crisis in Darfur supplemental layer file (crisisindarfur.kmz, 72kb)

in Google Earth; go to file>open, browse to and open the downloaded layer file (.kmz)
The layer will show up in the Places menu
Use the dashboard in Google Earth to view photos, testimonies, and maps

Understanding the Layers

Before and After Satellite Imagery

You can use Google Earth’s historical imagery to compare villages before and after they were destroyed.

How to see the imagery:

You must have the latest version of Google Earth (external link) installed to view historical imagery.
Download this file of before and after site.
Turn on the historical imagery icon (clock button) in Google Earth near the top of your screen.
Zoom to each site and use the slider or buttons on the top left of the screen to move between satellite images from different years.

Damaged and Destroyed Villages

Source: US Government (external link)

This map was created using data released in July 2009 by the Humanitarian Information Unit at the US State Department. The dataset is derived from an assessment of satellite imagery conducted between 2004 and 2009. The new information reveals that more than 3,300 villages can be confirmed as either partially damaged or completely destroyed. And, because the data now include for most of the villages the exact year or a year range when they were destroyed, it is now evident that over 2,000 villages were destroyed by 2005, marking the peak of the conflict.

This map does not include villages that have been attacked across the border in Chad and the Central African Republic by the Sudanese government-backed Janjaweed or rebels.

Internally Displaced Persons in Darfur and Refugees in Chad

Sources: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (external link), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (external link).

This 3D map identifies the locations and number of the 2.5 million displaced persons struggling to survive in camps, villages and other locations throughout Darfur, and the more than 200,000 refugees from Darfur in the camps in Chad.

The higher the bar the more people are in each camp or location. Click on the bar to see the number of displaced persons at each location as of October 2006, or turn on the “camp locations” button to more easily zoom in to the camps.

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect the views of UNHCR, OCHA or other UN agencies. The statements on this site related to specific products do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations of these products.

Photos and Videos

Sources: Mark Brecke (external link), Mia Farrow (external link), Ron Haviv (external link), Jerry Fowler, Michael Wadleigh, Ryan Spencer Reed (external link), Brian Steidle, with special thanks to the Darfur/Darfur exhibition (external link).

During the conflict, photographers captured the humanity and suffering of the people of Darfur. Their photos show village destruction, daily life in the camps, and portraits of individuals struggling to survive. Each photo is placed near the location where it was taken.

See more photos from Darfur on the Museum’s website:

Our Walls Bear Witness
Staring Genocide in the Face
Eyewitness Account: “My Camera was not Enough”

Testimonies

Source: Amnesty International USA (external link)

Collected between 2003 and 2006 in refugee and displaced person camps by Amnesty researchers, this layer shares a few of the personal stories from survivors of the genocide; what they saw and heard during attacks and what happened to them and their families after.

Professional Resources

Sources: Settlements [UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2005], Roads [UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2005], Humanitarian Access Map [US State Department, 2007].

Download the KML file

These layers show where towns and villages are located in Darfur, the road networks between them, and areas where access by relief workers is limited. This last map is based on data from the US State Department, which analyzed monthly OCHA accessibility maps released between August 2006 and January 2007 to identify areas that were frequently inaccessible during that period.

Additional professional Google Earth resources related to the conflict in Chad and Sudan can be found at the website of the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program (external link).

Create your own Presentation

It is easy to use Google Earth to create instructional tours and presentations for your school, mosque, synagogue, church, or just to present to family and friends.

Add placemarks (external link) on locations in Darfur and Chad identifying destroyed villages, refugee camps, or other evidence that helps people understand the crisis. As you add placemarks, they will appear in the Places menu of the Google Earth browser. Organize your placemarks (external link) in a folder for your tour. Select that folder, and click on the play icon to view your presentation. Now you are ready to present it to friends, family, and classmates. You can even send people a copy of your tour using Google Earth's e-mail function.

Tutorial on how to create tours in Google Earth (external link).

Major Sponsorship

Major sponsorship of the Genocide Prevention Mapping Initiative provided by:
Humanity United
MacArthur Foundation

Special Thanks

Declan Butler
Stefan Geens
Brian Timoney
Timothy Caro-Bruce
Mikel Maron
Andria Ruben-McCool
Megan Goddard
Lars Bromley
Jeremy Nelson
Brian Steidle
Ron Haviv
Mark Brecke
Ryan Spencer Reed
Mia Farrow
The US Department of State
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Amnesty International USA
Google
ESRI
The Timoney Group
Arc2Earth