Civilians Fight Back
To effectiively defend civilians, JEMS and SLA acquired guns and captured ammunition from the government of Sudan's military. Civilians tried to fight back whenever they were attacked by the Janjaweed militia. They had to use bows, arrows and clubs--inferior weapons compared to what the military and Janjaweed militia were using. Trying to repel these forces saved some lives but also resulted in massive casualties as the government flexed its military might; this led to civilians being savagely attacked.