The beginning of the armed conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur dates back to 2003, although the struggle between pastoralists and farmers for access to natural resources, gradually exacerbated by droughts and the onset of the Sahara, and the growing discontent of Darfur with its marginal economic and political situation in western Sudan, turned these territories into a zone of constant instability. The specificity of the relationship between the Sudan and its neighbours Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) was also an important factor in the escalation of the conflict; at the same time, Darfur fell victim to the political ambitions of the leaders of these countries.