How did the Janjaweed’s campaign in Darfur begin?

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In 2003, after rebels in Darfur attacked government installations, the Sudanese military organized the Janjaweed as a counterinsurgency force. The Janjaweed routed the rebels and conducted what was described by international observers as an ethnic cleansing of the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa peoples. Between 2003 and 2008, hundreds of thousands were killed and millions were displaced as the Janjaweed targeted civilian populations across Darfur.