The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur

by Brian Steidle, Gretchen Steidle Wallace

Former United States Marine Brian Steidle served for six months in Darfur as an unarmed military observer for the African Union. There he witnessed first-hand the ongoing genocide, and documented every day of his experience using email, audio journals, notebook after notebook and nearly 1,000 photographs. Gretchen Steidle Wallace, his sister, who wrote this book with Brian, corresponded with him throughout his time in Darfur. Fired upon, taken hostage, a witness to villages destroyed and people killed, frustrated by his mission's limitations and the international community's reluctance to intervene, Steidle resigned and has since become an advocate for the world to step in and stop this genocide. The Devil Came on Horseback depicts the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens, the maddening complexity of international inaction in response to blatant genocide, and the awkward, yet heroic transformation of a formerMarine turned humanitarian. It is a gripping and moving memoir that bears witness to atrocities we have too long averted our eyes from, and reveals that the actions of just one committed person have the power to change the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, History, Memoir, War, Politics, Sudan

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Brian Steidle is a former Marine Corps captain, military and security operations expert, and author who had worked on publicizing the Darfur conflict in Sudan. Steidle wrote a book, The Devil Came on Horseback, about his experience, which was turned into a documentary film that premiered at Sundance in 2007.

Steidle has shared his experience in Darfur with heads of state in the United States and abroad, addressed the U.S. Congress and the United Nations, and serves both as lecturer and advisor to several non-government organizations regarding their humanitarian efforts in Africa and other nations.

Prior to his work in Darfur, Steidle, the son of a high-ranking U.S. Navy officer, served in the United States Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003 as an infantry officer, completing his service with the rank of Captain.

After his service he took a contract in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan working for the Joint Military Mission, a collaboration between 12 European nations, the US and Canada, monitoring the North-South Cease fire, now Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Starting as a team leader of a four-man team directly negotiating tense situations, he advanced to a sector commander and on to the Senior Operations Officer for the entire Joint Military Mission within 7 months.

n September 2004, at the age of 27, Steidle accepted an assignment as one of three U.S. military observers for the African Union in the Darfur region of western Sudan.[3] His role was to monitor the cease fire between the two main rebel groups and the Sudanese Government. Additional roles included advising the AU on US personnel, operations, logistics and intelligence. Steidle witnessed the murders of thousands of people, but was not permitted to intervene, though he photographed what he witnessed. After his 13-month contract in Sudan was completed, Brian resigned the position and returned to the United States.

Steidle returned to Chad in 2006 to further document and publicize the events taking place there. Steidle wrote of his experiences in Darfur in his book The Devil Came on Horseback, a reference to the Janjaweed faction that has been responsible for much of the genocide in Darfur. An award-winning and Emmy nominated documentary film of the same title was also produced about Steidle's story. The film is a Break Thru Films production in association with Global Grassroots and Three Generations.[4] The film received significant charitable funding including grants from the Save Darfur Coalition and the Sundance Film Festival. Steidle appears throughout the film, narrating what he witnessed and interviewing survivors in Darfur.

Since his return from Sudan, Steidle has spoken at more than 500 venues including Harvard Law School, Princeton, UCLA, West Point and the US Naval Academy. His book has been incorporated into the curriculum of several of these schools. He has testified in the US Congress, UK Parliament, and at the UN Human Rights Council, providing expertise on Sudan and raising awareness of human rights violations and atrocities. He acted as Security and Logistics officer for several NGOs during trips to Chad, Kenya, and Rwanda, coordinating all aspects of route planning, contingency planning, evacuation plans, security threat, criminal or enemy situations, and situational updates. Steidle is a proven African expert, providing guidance and strategic advice including intelligence gathering, NGO Operations, AU effectiveness, war crimes, human rights violations and Sudanese military operations to NGOs, The International Criminal Court, Department of State, DOD, SOCOM, EUCOM, AFRICOM, and DHS ICE. He has also conducted Peace Support Operations Training for the Malawian Defense Force in 2009 prior to their deployment to Eastern Chad.

From Jan–May 2010, Steidle acted as a consultant and volunteer in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, following the devastating earthquake. He assisted US security forces in implementation of force protection plans for US governmen

Reviews

[Vicky Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of Who They Are

A stirring account given by Brian Steidle, a former Marine who accepted a mission as military observer for the African Union in Darfur Sudan. The region sustains a heavy amount of conflict between the tribes and races in the area. Africa is a continent that has numerous people groups in their 'native' population. Here in Sudan, the Arab race makes up about 80% of the country. The other 20% is mostly a mix of black African tribes. The Arab Sudanese want to rid the country of the black tribes because of who they are... That word 'are' implies existence. They exist.

Zipporah, the wife of Moses, walked out of this region and into the Christian Bible about 3400 years ago, (for a little background.) She is referred to as being a Midianite and from Kush/Cush which is Sudan, as well as being called an 'Ethiopian woman' by her in-laws. Most likely she was part of a black tribe in Cush that had its origins in Ethiopia. It is very possible that people who accepted her referred to her as being a Midianite, while those who resented her race referred to her origins as a slur. We know this because the Bible records a family squabble between Moses and his sister over his wife's race, and how his sister Miriam's skin afterwards became 'white' with leprosy as punishment from God for her hypocrisy and racism. Oddly though, stories like this do not hinder people of all religions from misrepresenting their own Holy Books to justify racism, Christians included. People make their own decisions about how they will apply religious teaching, just like the verses below.

"If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?" -Proverbs 24:11-12

Sudan has simmered with racial hatred in this century. Brian went along with other UN representatives from each of the fighting parties, as the United States observer to what was supposed to be a cease-fire. During their time of unbiased witness it became clear that the government was systematically, raping and slaughtering civilians of all ages, looting all their possessions, and burning their villages to leave those who escaped as refugees. They often even followed them to refugee camps and burned them out again. They fired bombs at them with shrapnel. They left the dead exposed in gruesome displays of terror. And, they hindered the UN investigation in every way possible during this time. The janjaweed were Arabic fighters supported by the government forces who were used as 'attack dogs' to rid their country of the black tribes. The name janjaweed means 'devil on a horse.'


The author does an excellent job of describing the conflict between the government, the Arabs, and the rebel groups involved in what became a Civil War. He details the complicated position of being asked to 'observe' and yet be able to do nothing physically to stop the genocide. His life was often in danger in this war zone of everyday life. (During his time some of the Save the Children workers were murdered.) But, what makes the story so readable is who the author is himself. He is a young American man. He really is just another guy. This jumps out at you from the reading right away. In that way he acts as a member of a world 'jury,' a common man who witnesses and draws opinions of guilt or innocence. We all do this whether we know it or not.


I highly recommend this account for anyone interested in genocide, war, poverty, race, hunger, and Africa today. I read it in the Audible narrated by Jeff Cummings, who also sounds like a very young man... so it is read somewhat authentically. But, anyone interested can Google the author for the videos and photos that are available on line on different websites. And, there is much other information available about the Darfur Genocide specifically. I read this for my stop in Sudan on my Journey Around the World in 80 Books for 2019. My next stop will be Chad, but I will be back to South Sudan which broke away from Sudan later, as soon as I circle westward through the remaining West African countries.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Devil Came on Horseback" gets two stars for being a first-person account of genocide, told honestly and with the benefit of the military expertise that enabled its author to see through many of the egregious lies presented by the Sudanese government, organizer of Sudan's clandestine exterminations. It also gets a bonus star for being the best book available on Darfur, though this is true largely because, well, it's the only one.

And it's a lucky thing, too, because it doesn't earn stars anywhere else. While not small things, the above are insufficient to make either a good book or a solid account of the political, economic, military, and social forces waging war on the Africans of Darfur. The author makes little or no effort to investigate or explain the political machinations at work in Sudan, to document the workings and structure of the Government forces or the Janjaweed militias, to delve into the documents or interview the politicos who might be able to explain the root causes at which Mr. Steidle can only express mystification -- and express it he does, on nearly every page.

To make matters worse, "The Devil Came on Horseback" is in desperate need of a good editor. Each page contains whole paragraphs that should have been deleted. Mistaken homonyms (course for coarse, sited for sighted) are speckled throughout the book. Mr. Steidle's personal life is jarringly intertwined with the journal-style vignettes detailing his life as an African Union ceasefire monitor in Darfur. Even the pictures contained within the book could have been better chosen -- of twenty pictures, only two or three go any length toward capturing the magnitude of the atrocities that affected Mr. Steidle (and, on one or two sadly inadequate occasions, the reader) so profoundly.

This is a shame, not least because the Darfurian genocide is to date the global community's great failing of the 21st century and deserves vastly more attention than it has thus far received. As well, the book contains several stories that could have been fleshed out to make for a stellar book, and that compensate for much of this editions failings.

"The Devil Came On Horseback" is clearly firsthand, but it's not in any way clearly written and it raises many more questions than it answers. If you wish to understand genocide, you'll do much better to find a copy of Philip Gourevitch's "We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families." If you're just looking for details about Darfur, you could do worse. Consider watching the Frontline documentary instead.

Mr. Steidle did noble work in Darfur and deserves a great deal of credit for going in with eyes open and tape recorder ready, but posterity will look to other authors for primary sources.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book so as to receive an honest accounting (and education) of the horrors of Darfur. I wanted to learn about the politics behind the genocide. The players. The purported solution. None of that was offered in this book. First, it was written as though the author wanted it to be an action novel: Sophomoric and cursory explanations of the conflict, but heavy on the scenes where the author is *almost* kidnapped, or *almost* threatened. I felt as though the number of agencies, tribes, governments involved in the conflict (both the good and bad) could have been better explained. Instead, the shorthand was frustrating and difficult to follow.

All in all, not recommended. I understand, from a trusted source, that the documentary of the same name is worth the watch. Perhaps this is one of the rare instances where the movie is better than the book?

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book because I did an interview with Brian Steidle, co-author, who served as an unarmed miliary observer in Darfur. Till that point, the name "Darfur" was not much more than a bumper sticker cause, though I knew the situation there was dire. Steidle, who co-wrote this book with his sister, Gretchen Steidle Wallace, provides gripping first-hand testimony to the ongoing horrors of the genocide at the hands of the Arab militias in Sudan against the Darfurians, who are also Arab but who are considered "too black."

The story also details the failures of the African Union to take any meaningful action, despite copious evidence of the crimes against humanity there. Eventually, after completing his term of service, Steidle returns to the U.S. and becomes, unexpectedly, one of the leading spokespeople on the Darfurian situation.

It's a powerful read.

[Yousif Makram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes the genocide that was happening in Darfur.
I give this book 3 stars for a coupe of reasons. The first reason would be that the author was very precise about the crisis in Dafur. The author told you the most important details in most of the situations. one bad thing about the book is that the author is sometimes biased and describes the enemies as stupid. For example if the good guys do wrong he finds all the reasons that it wasn't their fault. But when the bad guys do wrong he finds every reason to prove that they were wrong.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so frustrating to be there, witness what he saw and not be able to do a thing about it. It made me angry just reading about it. He repeats himself a lot but I understand why. I'm glad he wrote this book to get what he became a witness to out to the people so they may become more aware of THE TRAGIC LOSS OF HUMAN LIVES. After reading this one is unable to say it was anything other than a government sponsored genocide being ignored by the rest of the world.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Govt. of Sudan troops are working with the Janjaweed, nomadic muslims, committing genocide against the muslim African farmer communities in Darfur. I think the book does an even better job than the movie describing the horror, red tape, frustration, and absurdities of the situation. The things happening there are frightful knowing the depths of what humanity is capable of.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read in that it discusses so much violence towards innocent people, but it is very informative. It is a call to action for all of us who do nothing to end the genocide in Darfur.

[Raughley Nuzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is an important story to be told within this book. The events that the author witnessed during his posting as an African Union (AU) monitor in Darfur are horrific and merit greater global attention. It is unfortunate, then, that the author muddles the retelling of the events by inserting far more of himself into this story than is merited. Perhaps it's the nature of the memoir style that the Steidles have chosen for the book, but I found Brian Steidle's account of the tragedy in Sudan and Darfur was too frequently sidelined for him to recount his own adventures, including his trip to a Khartoum dentist for his wisdom tooth removal, his hobnobbing with NYTimes literati on his Thanksgiving break, his astonishment at the "variety of soaps" at a Walmart back home, and his spearheading of the building of a beach volleyball court at HQ in Niala, Darfur, Sudan.

Steidle likely aimed to take advantage of his unique perspective as an American AU monitor to give other Americans insight through his relatable eyes. Instead, his self-importance shines through in almost every tale he recounts. Upon encountering alleged Al Qaeda trainees during one patrol, he immediately assumes that they will try to murder him and leads the reader down a rabbit hole of how he would manage to take out one or two of them with his knife before he could be gunned down. Similarly, as he is leaving Sudan at the end of his contract, he gins up an entire fantasy about how he will be abducted and killed by officials at the airport when he is asked for his bag to be inspected. If there are cases where something like this has happened, Steidle doesn't indicate as much, leaning heavily on his own beliefs and paranoia.

The pleasure Steidle takes in becoming the center of attention on a few occasions is palpable as he describes his celebrity status as being the first American (or White Person) to ever visit particular villages and settlements. This provides a stark contrast to the horrors he witnesses at the sites of massacres and the whiplash between these two types of stories jarringly sharing the pages of this book was off-putting for me.

Perhaps my expectations were colored by my own preferences and blindness to what type of book The Devil Came on Horseback is, but as important as the events described herein are, I feel they deserve a more serious study than this.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book, along with a couple of others, about this particular subject. I am trying to work through some of my unread items, and picked this one up. I appreciate the first hand account of the things that were witnessed in Darfur. First person accounts are so valuable in all historical events, but certainly in the cases of genocide. I cannot say that this was my favorite book that I have read on this topic, but I feel that it was worth the read and was informative. I cannot imagine being on the ground and witnessing such things and being able to do nothing. How horrific. How horrific for the innocent people who were treated in this way and killed. (This book is currently included in the Audible Plus catalog.)

[Sarah Boyer]

While listening to this book I recorded clips of descriptions of what the Janjaweed did in the villages of Darfur. Horrific recounts of ethnic cleansing. I did this because those depictions were exactly the same as what the Janjaweed, now re-branded as the Rapid Support Force, lead by the same man, have done since December 25, 2018 in Khartoum until present day Sudan. More specifically the events that happened on June 3, 2019, which was the first day of Eid after Ramadan.

Highly recommend to anyone who would like to learn more about the genocide in Sudan, or learn more about the terrific lands of Sudan.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace tells the autobiographical report of ex-marine Brian Steidle as a military observer for the African Union on the genocide taking place in Darfur. It is the first account by someone who was there making first hand observations taking almost 1,000 photos of the atrocities. He was in communication with his sister, Gretchen Steidle Wallace, who then worked with him on writing this book. It is not a pleasant read but more frustrating and infuriating when you learn that the human tragedy is mostly ignored.

[Sharon Falduto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about the situation in Sudan, and this book was available in our college library. It's written by a former Marine who worked in Darfur with a contractor. At times he gets bogged down in military terms, locations, dates, etc., and the writing doesn't flow. But I appreciate what he is doing--trying to get the world to recognize that there is a genocide going on in Sudan, and that we should be doing more to stop it.

[Fatima · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had this book not reeked of white saviourism, there would’ve been more stars. This book felt more like an action novel as opposed to a real life account of genocide occurring. I get the author is the centre of the narrative, but then don’t mislead your audience and say you’re going to write about genocide when you’re really going to talk about how cool it was for you a white man to be given so much importance by black people.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having the first-have account was priceless and this book is absolutely with reading. That said, I agree with other reviewers that there was a significant amount of context leasing up to the conflict that I would've liked included. Also, not that Mr. Steidle's writing is bad, but in the hands of a more skilled author, the impact of this text could've been greatly amplified.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, when you consider what happened there is a constant repeat of the story of Africa post colonial intervention. More perfectly good folks being murdered by other perfectly dishonest people. More folks sitting in nice comfy offices, saying nice things and accomplishing not very much.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the writing and narrative wasn't always totally gripping, I felt like this gave a pretty clear and objective overview of the situation in Darfur ~2003-2005. Yes perhaps it laid most of the blame on the Arab tribes of Sudan, but it seems warranted.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book, and I think it would have been easier to follow if I had read it and had a map nearby. I learned a lot and am feeling a bit lost in the horrific loss in Darfur. How can this happen?

[Michael Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Great story telling. Hard to put down. So thankful brian was able to share his account of what happened in Darfur. Greatly increased my level of Empathy. A+

[William Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content is important but the story was choppy.

[Audra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was heart wrenching but also needed.

[Rachel Matsuoka · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive work of narrative and documentation on an underreported ONGOING atrocity.

[Beth Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely didn’t enjoy this book, but I’m glad I read it. It provides a very real and personal look at the genocide in Darfur. I highly recommend it

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't dig it as much as I thought I would. It was well written, but didn't focus enough on the actual events for my liking.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

a first hand account of what is happening is darfur. not suprisingly, nobody cares.

[Kayla Mamolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sad read about the effects of genocide, however it’s from the view of a white man from America so…would have preferred it be from someone who lived it

[Riley Speas · Rating 3 out of 5]

less academically framed than We wish to inform you but still a great journalistic overview of the Darfur genocide

[Drew Wayne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the author's narrative centered around being an outsider in the Middle East during the 9/11 era, I admire Brian Steidle’s courage in unveiling images of the Darfur genocide, shedding light on a crisis that had largely been ignored by the US.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book provides an excellent first person description of the conflicts in Sudan, both in the Nuba mountains/s. Sudan and the Darfur. The author is most effective in describing the complicity of the government (ex. arming the janjaweed with Russian military hardware, refusing to fuel monitoring flights, constant claims of "rebels/bandits" as creating the need for military retaliation, "those are not my soldiers looting") Steidle's descriptions are especially effective for two reasons, he does not over dramatize the graphic scenes, he knows that with enough details, the reader's imagination is sufficient to begin to see the horror, rather than overly descriptive prose which could just cause a reader to become numb (his intro of the death of a 1yr old girl is especially wrenching). Steidle is also effective in that he brings his own military experience, he is able to explain clearly and concisely why govt. of Sudan claims are often ludicrous.

The book has a few short comings. Mainly that Sidel does not provide much background as to the causes of the conflict or the goals of the government in Sudan. I understand that this is not meant to be a political/historical study, rather a first person account, but a little more explanation, rather than Sidel's frequent statement that Darfurians are being attacked because they are "too black". This lack of context/explanation becomes a little more annoying in the last third of the book, where Steidle decribes for the dozenth time how the government of Sudan is complicit or is actively supporting the genocide/and how the intel. community does nothing--the reader is left asking on both accounts why? why?

Of course if the author's goal was to get people to learn more, he has been successful as now I am curious to read more.

[Kathleen Hagen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur, by Grian and Gretchen Steidle A.
Downloaded from audible.com.
The publisher’s note described this book as follows:

The Devil Came on Horseback is an intense, vivid autobiographical report from the heart of violent Darfur and a call to action by a former American Marine
who became a military observer for the African Union. The first extensive on-the-ground account of the genocide in Sudan, it leads us through the tragic
impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens and the frustrating complexity of international inaction. At the same time,
it is a powerful memoir of one soldier's awakening to conscience and his awkward, heroic transformation from Marine to humanitarian. While bearing witness
to unmentionable atrocities, this compelling story offers evidence that the actions of just one committed person have the power to transform the world.

This autobiographical account centers on an American former marine, now military observer for the African Union as they observe, photograph and take account of the atrocities taking place in the sudan. He seems to have been the only one with military experience, so he could more easily tell when scenes of destruction were caused by a defensive battle, or, as in most cases, caused by unprovoked attacks against villages destroying everyone and everything in sight. It was compelling to watch this man, who had been trained to put feelings aside and act and think objectively, find himself in a situation where his emotions could not help but be involved by the horror and incompetence he was seeing. A very disturbing account of another act of genocide that I knew little about.