Climate changes, which resulted in increased desertification in Sudan, are closely linked to the crisis in Darfur, according to a recent report published by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
The past four decades have been devastating for Sudan as a whole, and its western district, Darfur, in particular, the report said. The deserts in the country spread southwards at an alarming rate, while many areas also experienced a "deforestation crisis" which has led to a loss of almost 12 percent of the country’s forest in just 15 years.
A marked fall in precipitation over the last 80 years was also mentioned in the report as a catalyst for the social strife and conflict.
Sudan has been embroiled in a series of civil wars since its independence in 1956, resulting in the deaths and displacement of millions. In the past four years alone, a regional conflict in Darfur has displaced nearly two million people and caused between 200,000 and 400,000 deaths.
The UNEP report asserted that Sudan was unlikely to see a lasting peace unless the environmental degradation was urgently addressed. It called on the international community and the Sudanese government to invest in environmental management as a vital part of the peace building effort.