Saviors & Survivors

In Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics, and the War on Terror, renowned academic Mahmood Mamdani provides a thorough historical investigation into the crisis in Darfur. Moving beyond simplistic narratives, Mamdani traces the roots of the struggle back to late-twentieth-century environmental changes, including severe regional droughts that prompted clashes over land between nomadic herders and peasant farmers.

The work explores how colonial governance reshaped local identities by categorising groups into native and settler tribes, setting the stage for enduring internal tensions. Mamdani also analyses the impact of broader international confrontations, including the Cold War, regional conflicts involving Chad and Libya, and modern Western political campaigns that frame the Darfur crisis within the global War on Terror. Written with rigour and depth, this volume re-evaluates the nature of the conflict and the international calls for intervention, making it a critical resource for university students, lecturers, and anyone interested in contemporary African politics.