Part 1: Background

A moral crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan is raging. An ethnic genocide has resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 people. More than a 1.5 million have been displaced. To get a firsthand view of the crisis, American Progress sent Senior Fellow Gayle Smith, formerly the senior director for African Affairs at the National Security Council, to Darfur. She reported her findings in this five-part series.

For more information, visit the American Progress Action Fund's "Sudan: A Challenge for Us All" Web page.

		Ending the emergency in Darfur will take more than the threat of ill-defined sanctions, and preventing Sudan's collapse will require a level of engagement by the international community that is rarely afforded to Africa. More...
		The only bright spot on an otherwise depressing and disturbing trip was our meeting with troops from the African Union, or AU. More...
		In the over 20 years I spent in Africa, I saw a lot of desolation and more than enough barren camps erected to house civilians displaced by war and famine. More...
		Khartoum has changed. While it is still hot, without any greenery and covered with the fine dust that permeates one's eyes, teeth and hair, it is now extremely crowded. More...
		The trip to Sudan almost didn't come off. Since the Darfur crisis broke in the world's media, Sudan has been overtaken by visits by U.N. officials, high-level diplomats, members of Congress, human rights investigators and the international press corps. More...