Hope springs from ancient lake found in Darfur

SCIENTISTS have discovered the underground remnants of an ancient lake in Sudan’s arid Darfur region, offering hope of tapping a precious resource and easing water scarcity, which experts say is the root of much of the unrest in the region.

The researchers hope to drill at least 1,000 wells in an attempt to tap into the underground reservoir, which is as large as the state of Massachusetts.

Decades of scarce water and other resources have stoked low-intensity local conflicts that eventually led to a devastating civil war.