This past April Egyptian geologist, Farouk El-Baz, and his team discovered evidence of an ancient underground lake in Darfur [1]. This recent development will have unclear implications for the region, which has been ravaged by genocide since 2003. To date, approximately 200,000 people have been killed in the conflicts, and another 2.5 million have been displaced [2]. While the findings are still somewhat debated [3], the aquifer has the potential to provide a substantial water source in the arid region of Darfur, where water remains a scarce commodity. However, is this underground oasis a prospect of peace, or is it simply a source of further conflict?

El-Baz, director of Boston University's Center for Remote Sensing, explains that for tens of millions of years this now desert region has alternated between wet and dry. Satellite imaging reveals evidence of a now buried lake that once rose 1,880 feet above sea level and stood 11,872 square miles in size. When full, water would have seeped through the sandstone below the lake to accumulate as groundwater that now forms the aquifer. In the early 1980s, El-Baz found a similar underground lake in southwest Egypt. From this water source, 500 wells were dug to irrigate 150,000 acres and create what is now a lush area. El-Baz explains that the rock types in Sudan are almost identical and, thus, it is feasible to expect similar results in Darfur [4]. He has called for 1,000 deep wells to be drilled in the region [5].

A recent report by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) described that rapidly depleting environmental resources are among the underlying causes of the years of social conflict in the country  [6]. “Exponential population growth and related environmental stress have created the conditions for conflicts to be triggered and sustained by political, tribal, or ethnic differences,” articulated the UNDP report. It depicted Darfur as a “tragic example of the social breakdown that can result from an ecological collapse” [7]. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, also points to environmental unrest as an underlying factor in the crisis. He explained in an opinion for the Washington Post that “it is no accident that violence in Darfur erupted during the drought” [8]. Many argue that declining rainfall and water shortages, as well as subsequent crop failure and desertification led to the increased conflict between pastoralists and farmers. These tensions resulted in the eruption of violence that has continued since 2003. It is with these underlying struggles in mind that development expert Jeffrey Sachs argues, “While international diplomacy focused on peacekeeping and on humanitarian efforts to save the lives of displaced and desperate people, peace in Darfur can neither be achieved nor sustained until the underlying crises of poverty, environmental degradation, declining access to water, and chronic hunger are addressed” [9].  For this reason, many point to the aquifer as an important source for peace and stability in war-torn Darfur.

Others have a less optimistic outlook, arguing that this hope for peace is, at best, overly simplistic. Julie Flint, co-author of “Darfur: The Short History of a Long War”, points to the government’s reaction to rebellion, rather than a resource shortage, as the underlying cause of the current crisis [10]. History shows that the Sudanese government has repeatedly adopted agricultural policies that result in unfair distribution, poor use of the land, and therefore further conflict [11]. Alex de Wall, who has researched Sudan since the mid-1980s, argues that all resources, including water, can be used “for good or ill… a blessing or also a curse” [12]. At this point, many argue that exploitation, conflict, and tension for control run so deep in Darfur that, until these are resolved, water will not be enough to stop the crisis [13].

The IIJD supports drilling wells into the aquifer if there indeed proves to be adequate water to supply the substantial population. It is infeasible to expect this water source to be a solution to the conflict, for the tensions are so deeply rooted and complex at this point. Nonetheless, the aquifer has the potential to provide a vital resource to many people who are currently without water, and to improve the lives of the population. It is a resource that should not go untapped. However, the IIJD does share the concern that the water could be a source of further conflict in Darfur. It is vital that the people living in the region control this resource and use it as they deem valuable. If necessary, the UN should be committed to providing peacekeepers to ensure that the water is used by the people in need, rather than exploited for power.