Darfur's Sorrow: The Forgotten History of a Humanitarian Disaster

by M.W. Daly

Darfur’s Sorrow is the first general history of Darfur to be published in any language. The book surveys events from before the founding of the Fur sultanate in the sixteenth century through the rise and establishment of the Fur state and its incorporation into the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1916. The narrative continues with detailed coverage of the brief but all-important colonial period (1916–1956) and Darfur’s history as a neglected peripheral region since independence. The political, economic, environmental, and social factors that gave rise to the current humanitarian crisis are discussed in detail, as are the course of Darfur’s rebellion, its brutal suppression by the Sudanese government, and the lawless brigands known as janjawid. The second edition of the book brings the story up to date and includes an analysis of attempts to save Darfur’s embattled people and to bring an end to the fighting.

Genres: Africa, History, Nonfiction

398 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

Martin William Daly

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was way more than the Darfur for Dummies I was looking for but I was was too proud to read the book by Don Cheadle. Darfur's Sorrow is not intended for a general audience and it is not an easy read. The book covers the history of the Darfur region of the Sudan from the 16th century to the present. I concentrated on the post-colonial chapters. The question I went into the book with was how the Darfur conflict connects to the Civil War in the South. The answer appears to be that the government in Khartoum manages the periphery of the country by racializing conflicts between Arab Muslim tribes and non-Arab groups like the Fur and the Dinka. It also seems in both cases to be the story of how people dislocated by ecological disasters create narratives that justify mass murder and land grabs against the settled population in the areas they relocate to. I was interested in the history of the SPLA's unsuccessful attempts to make common cause with the Fur people and other "black/African" groups in Darfur. The author also explains the regional conflicts between Sudan, Chad, and Libya.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an impressive scholarly account of the history of Darfur, but the title of the book is extremely misleading. It makes it sound like it is a humanization of the conflict, and yet there were no stories of any victims of the genocide, nor was there any personalization whatsoever of the people.

It is a cold and often extremely dull history of the region, often including pages of economic statistics, long lists of names of ineffectual politicians and public servants, and the author doesn't have a particularly good writing style. His sentence structure is long, often choppy, and loaded with ambiguity. This was often very frustrating.

I only give the book 2 stars because I did learn about Darfur from reading this, but it was not what I bargained for at all. The title should be "Darfur: An Economic and Political Record."

[Rakhi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn't make it through this book. It's written like a textbook. Although I am looking for more information on Darfur, this wasn't the method for me.

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive unpacking of a disturbing obstacle to collaboration.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I waited about 6 months for my library to get a copy of this book in. I was so excited to read it, but that changed by about the 5th page.

Alot of history in this book. All those names of sultans, regions, etc. are confusing. It was more like a textbook. Just too boring and hard for me to read. I'm interested in darfur, but this was not the way to learn about it.