The conflict flared in 2003 when rebels in Darfur took up arms, accusing the government of neglecting the region.

Since then, civilians have come under attack from government troops, nomadic militia and rebel groups. The United Nations says as many as 300,000 people may have died. Khartoum puts the figure at 10,000.

The violence has also forced some 2.7 million people - mostly farmers and villagers from non-Arab groups - to flee their homes. The majority are living in camps in Darfur, but thousands have fled across the border to Chad.

Khartoum denies accusations it has used Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, to crush the revolt.

But in March 2009, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's president for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, in which it said the Janjaweed were allied to the Sudanese armed forces.

Soon afterwards the government expelled 13 international agencies from Sudan and three local agencies from Darfur.

Since then few reports have been published on the humanitarian situation in the region. News agencies have very limited access, and aid agencies are reluctant to speak out for fear they will be expelled.

A combined United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force began deploying in 2008, taking over from a small, overstretched AU force. The deployment followed protracted wrangling between the international community and Khartoum, and peacekeepers still face government restrictions on movement and access.

In 2009, the United Nations' outgoing military commander said the conflict was effectively over, and isolated attacks and banditry were Darfur's main problems. But relief agencies still permitted to work there face obstacles in accessing much of the region because of insecurity, the threat of kidnap and government restrictions.

The conflict has spilled over Sudan's borders into eastern Chad and Central African Republic.

Read more about the conflict on AlertNet - Darfur at a glance

Drilling in Darfur

The main goal of the project is to provide 10,000 conflict affected populations (IDPs and resident populations) in Jebel Moon with safe and potable drinking water.

The sub-goals of the project are:

- Increased and improved access to safe water for 10,000 people;
- Enhanced water infrastructure in Kulbus Locality.

Indicators:

- 20 new boreholes drilled and installed with hand pumps;
- 20 villages with newly constructed water point with 500 users/borehole;
- Beneficiary households accessing 15 litres/person per day of safe water.

Time frame:

July - December 2007

In 2004, IAS recieved funding from SCF-US and Swedish Mission Council/Sida for drilling of 50 boreholes in El Geneina in Western Darfur State. Additional funding was also recieved from Läkarmissionen (SWEDEN), Operation Mercy (SWEDEN) and YMCA (GERMANY) for more boreholes in the region. The goal and target group of the intervention was to provide clean drinking water for 70,000 displaced people in the El Geneina area of which some are IDPs living in the camps and some in local villages that have expanded to include the refugees.