Photography book review: Fragments of Darfur, By Nektarios Markogiannis

The conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, which began in the 1980s, is thought to have claimed the lives of around 300,000 people from the combined effects of war, hunger and disease.

African and Arab tribes had co-existed for centuries, but as a result of the increasing desertification of the region in the 1970s and 1980s, fighting began and lasted until 1994. The conflict resumed in 2003 between African rebel groups under the banner of the Darfur Liberation Front, Sudan government forces, and the Janjaweed Arab militia. By 2004, an estimated one million people had been driven from their homes, and more than 100,000 refugees had fled to neighbouring Chad.

The images collected in this volume, capturing the lives of the people of Darfur, are by photo-journalist Nerris (Nektarios) Markogiannis, who has worked for the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. His photographs have featured internationally in a wide range of magazines and journals.