Achmed Mohameed About was in his home in the village of Hila Abrahim when a roving band of Janjaweed attacked and burned down a section of his village. He and his family escaped, returning days later to find their homes destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of African Sudanese from Darfur have fled their country following a violent civil war in Darfur that broke out in 2003, when rebel groups began attacking government targets, saying the government had neglected the region. In response Khartoum mobilised Arab "self-defence militias", or "Janjaweed," which are accused of carrying out atrocities against local black Africans.
