The Arab-Fur War emerged after years of tension between communities with different livelihoods and social identities. Most African inhabitants of Darfur were described as settled farmers, while Arab groups were mainly nomadic camel and cattle herders. Competition over land, water, and other resources repeatedly generated disputes, even though local leaders had historically resolved many conflicts through negotiation.

Regional intervention aggravated these tensions. Libya’s leader, Colonel Moammar al-Gadhafi, used Darfur as a military base for wars in Chad and sought to promote Arab supremacist tendencies. The resulting influx of weapons and heightened ethnic polarization helped spark the Arab-Fur War, which caused thousands of deaths and the burning of hundreds of Fur villages.

The conflict unfolded alongside the devastating famine of the mid-1980s and broader governmental neglect of Darfur. It left the region more heavily armed and more deeply divided. The later mobilization of militias and the escalation of violence in 2003 were rooted partly in these earlier conflicts and grievances.