While researching this word I learned that Gahdaffi has played a significant role in contributing to abuses that have occurred in Darfur. His Islamic Legion was created to Arabize the sub saharan region and though it did not last, evolved into Tajamu al Arabi, translated as ''Arab Gathering''. Initially a clandestine group, the Arab Gathering finally emerged publicly in October 1987 when it sent an open letter to the then Sudanese prime minister calling for the ''Arab race'' to be given greater regional authority at the expense of the Fur and Zaghawa tribes, who were identified as "non-Arabs". The Gathering called these groups "zurga" and "abid", terms implying that they were slaves. The intensity of the violence practiced by these Arab militias earned them the nickname ''Janjaweed", which means "devil on a horse", from the local Masalit tribes.

(http://goo.gl/6cIbY)