John Prendergast is Advisor to the President of the International Crisis Group.

News of a possible truce in the fifty year old civil war that has ravaged Sudan was a bright spot in the opening months of 2004. But it was soon said that Sudan's western province – Darfur – was ablaze with a brutal repression of local tribes by Arab militia called "Janjaweed." As the world watched, these tribesmen were beaten, killed and raped. John Prendergast, advisor to the International Crisis Group describes the actions necessary to end this atrocity and prevent its recurrence.