What role have the Janjaweed assumed for Sudanese Government?

The Janjaweed are an armed militia group composed primarily of Arab nomads who have been used by the Sudanese government to wage a campaign of terror against the indigenous African tribes of Darfur. The Janjaweed have been responsible for numerous atrocities against civilians, including mass killings, rape, and destruction of property. The government of Sudan has armed and equipped the Janjaweed, and has used them to carry out its own ethnic cleansing campaign against the Darfuri people.