August 10, 2009
On July 30, the Museum updated its Google Earth initiative Crisis in Darfur with the latest U.S. Department of State data that sheds new light on the extent of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. It confirms that most villages were destroyed between 2003 and 2005, during the height of the brutal Sudanese government-backed campaign targeting civilians in Darfur.
Below is a breakdown of the number of villages attacked in Darfur by year or—when it was not possible to determine the precise year—by date range:
Villages Attacked by Year or Date Range
Unknown year: 382
| 2003: | 580 |
| 2003-2004: | 254 |
| 2004: | 844 |
| 2004-2005 | 104 |
| 2005: | 252 |
| 2005-2006: | 174 |
| 2006: | 540 |
| 2006-2007: | 18 |
| 2007: | 117 |
| 2007-2008: | 8 |
| 2008: | 76 |
| 2008-2009: | 1 |
| 2009: | 6 |
Total Villages: 3356
Total Villages with Corresponding Year: 2974
Total Damaged Villages: 516
Total Destroyed Villages: 2840
To view evidence of these destroyed villages in Darfur, visit Mapping Initiatives: Crisis in Darfur.