Africa is a continent riddled with conflict. Most are forgotten wars that rumble away unnoticed for years. Darfur is different. For five years an unlikely coalition of the religious right, the liberal left and a smattering of celebrities has kept Darfur’s bloody conflict in the headlines.
Rob Crilly arrived in Sudan in 2005 to find out what made Darfur special.
He found a conflict very different to the one popularised by the Save Darfur movement. This was no simple genocide being carried out by Arabs against black, African tribes.
Along the way he rides with rebels on donkeys, gets caught in a Janjaweed attack and learns lessons from Osama bin Laden’s horse.
Saving Darfur: Everyone’s favourite African War is still available for Kindle.
Mia Farrow, actress and activist
While I disagree with much of Mr Crilly’s analysis, he provides us with a solid journalistic account of his first-hand experiences in Darfur.
Adam Mynott, BBC News
The crisis in Darfur is complex, multi-layered and has its roots deep in history. It is not, as it is often portrayed, a straightforward issue of good versus bad. Rob Crilly has spent more time than any other journalist I know travelling in and out of the region to piece together his analysis; his vast experience informs this book and lifts it head and shoulders above other attempts to explain what has plunged Darfur into disaster.
Saving Darfur is an engaging and insightful look into one of Africa’s most intractable conflicts.
Rob Crilly has as good a grasp of the people and the politics of the region as anyone writing on the subject today.
This book’s triumph is the author’s ability to make the complexities of the crisis accessible, through the eyes of the people who have watched, and suffered as the atrocities unfolded.
If you’re looking for just one book to bring you up to speed on Darfur, this is it!
Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society.
Crilly takes you to Darfur, into a vast landscape of heat and dust and horrific war. But as he leads you from plains to mountains and into camps and villages, all your preconceptions are turned upside down by the fiendish complexity of this war. This books peels off the labels that have been stuck on Darfur by outsiders and exposes the stubborn realities beneath the surface
South of West 
What’s going on in Darfur is absolutely horrifying. I was at the NY Independent film fest and the one film that stood out was Attack on Darfur. It brought the political aspect to a forefront and made me aware of the terrible things going on in today’s world. It won Best feature film so I guess they thought it was important too!
People of Darfur still make up close to 60% of SAF. If not for the Darfur people in SAF, SPLA would have liberated not only Southern Sudan but the whole of Sudan (including Darfur) long before the NCP and the SPLM/A were pressured to sign the CPA. Although Southern Sudanese are sympathetic towards the people of Darfur, they have not forgotten the attrocities committed by the very people of Darfur who made up 70-80% of the Sudanese armed forces and militia who waged the Jihad in Southern Sudan. Having said that – for Southern Sudan to be peaceful, and for the Khartoum government not to succeed in Kashmirization of Abyei, it is necessary for the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) to make weakening and subsequent fracturing of Northern Sudan into West, East and North a foreign policy priority that needs to be pursued by any government in power.
I was initially looking for readings to become more knowledgeable about South Sudan and your book did make me more knowledgeable on that and the totality of the conflicts in Sudan. I’ll warmly recommend your book!
Great, I’m glad you liked it
Hello,
My name is James Davies and I’m a reporter for The People newspaper.
I was just wondering whether you’re free today to file some copy?
If you could let me know a number i can get you on I ‘ll give you a call.
Many thanks,
James
Hi Rob,
Trying to find a copy of your book but drawn a blank! Nowhere seems to have it. I checked out amazon and the only copy is listed at £101.99 (?!) The Reportage Press website doesn’t work…
Any ideas where I can get one from?
Cheers,
Henry
Where is the best place to get a copy?
Thomas, I’m afraid it’s out of print. You can, however, get it for kindle if that’s any use: