Cattle herders prepare to wreak havoc on North Darfur farms, warn IDPs
October 9, 2022 (ELFASHER) – Displaced people warned Sunday of the massive deployment of armed men in North Darfur who deliberately destruct farmed areas in many villages, saying that their presence heralds a new wave of violence in the area.
Since last August, residents of western El Fasher have been complaining about the deteriorating security situation after attacks reportedly by an armed group of Arab tribes on the outskirts of Zamzam camp and a number of surrounding villages in search of stolen cattle.
The attack resulted in the killing of a youth leader in the camp, and 10 people wounded. The assailants also kidnapped several people including women and children. before they were released after mediation by the security services and traditional local leaders.
“Militias affiliated with Arab tribes deliberately introduced their livestock into large agricultural areas in conjunction with the start of the harvest season. The move could lead to the failure of the agricultural season and the outbreak of confrontations between pastoralists and farmers,” said Osman Haroun, a spokesman at Zamzam camp for displaced people told the Sudan Tribune.
Haroun further said the authorities have failed to stop these abuses warning that “the situation could escalate and become more complicated,” unless the state government intervenes to redress the situation.
According to the spokesman, large numbers of residents fled their villages for fear of being targeted.
By the end of last week, gunmen killed a policeman and a civilian and seriously wounded 11 others in an attack on a police station in the Kanjara area of the Tawila locality,
In August, Zamzam residents staged a sit-in for more than two weeks where they closed a vital road linking North and South Darfur states to protest the increase of militia attacks.
They lifted the protest movement following government pledges to provide a security force to ensure security in the area.
At the time, civil society activists praised the sit-in movement t protest against violence, stressing that it reflects a good development in the restive region and shows the impact of the spirit of civilian resistance in the country.
Meanwhile, Nimir Abdel Rahman Governor of North Darfur on Saturday paid a visit to a number of villages and some agricultural areas damaged by cattle keepers.
“Based on the complaints of farmers in the affected areas, the State Security Committee found quantities of livestock inside the farms,” Nimr told reporters during his visit
The governor added that those legal measures have been taken against the perpetrators and revealed a plan to redeploy additional forces to prevent pastoralists wreak havoc on farms.
(ST)