The violence and tragedy of the genocide taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness. Using more than a thousand uncompromising and exclusive photographs taken by former US Marine Captain Brian Steidle during his role as a military observer with the African Union, the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens is exposed. As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. He was unprepared for what he would witness and experience, including being fired upon, taken hostage, and being unable to intervene to save the lives of young children. Ultimately frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle resigned and returned to the US to expose the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed. Haunted by what he has seen and the backlash against his advocacy efforts, Brian traveled to the refugee camps of Chad to reconnect with survivors of the violence he witnessed. - skip ad - Genres: Documentary and Politics/Religion Running Time: 1 hr. 25 min. Release Date: July 25th, 2007 (limited) MPAA Rating: Not Rated Distributor: International Film Circuit Cast And Credits Directed by: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg Produced by: Jane Wells, Ricki Stern, Gretchen Wallace

Translated, "Jangaweed" means "devil on horseback." The Jangaweed burn, shoot, rape, slaughter and pillage the western part of Sudan, Darfur. They are the Arab militia supported by the Arab-dominated Sudanese government and bent on wiping out the African and Christian population of Sudan.

In this scorching documentary, filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg document the genocide perpetrated in that African nation, where more than 400,000 non-Arab people have been slaughtered. Nearly 3 million have been forced from their homes.

Filtered through the eyes of a gallant ex-Marine, Capt. Brian Steidle, who served as a military observer with the African Union in the western part of Sudan, the docu is an unnervingly powerful picture of atrocity. Steidle documented the unspeakable cruelty in more than 1,000 pictures that inspired a New York Times expose.

"The Devil on Horseback" is a cinematic salvo of heart-breaking interviews, onsite footage and pictures of unimaginable carnage. It is a powerful warning of another Rwanda in the making -- another one that world powers have not acted on.

The U.N. Security Council has issued nine resolutions condemning the atrocities, all with abstentions from China, which has massive oil interests in the region. Sudan thumbs its nose, and the U.N. backs off.

Perhaps this powerful docu, to air this year on HBO, will spur action from more effective entities. Meanwhile, famished Darfur citizens pour into poverty-stricken, barren eastern Chad, living in refugee camps and searching for family members.