North Darfur deploys special forces to protect agricultural season
July 21, 2016 (EL-FASHER) – A government official in North Darfur state said on Thursday that his government has brought Special Forces to protect the agricultural season, and interfere to solve any possible conflict.
During the rainy season many localities and areas in North Darfur state witness clashes between herdsmen and the host community of farmers. The tensions in the arid land are trigged by the need for grazing cattle to access pasture resource.
During the growing season, the herdsmen often wonder into the fields as their herds eat or trample on the crops. The destruction of crops and farm lands push the farmers to seek revenge on the herds and clashes occur between the two parties.
In a bid to reduce conflicts between the herders and farmers, the Commissioner of El-Fasher locality Al-Tigani Abdalla Saleh told Sudan Tribune that a higher committee, chaired by the deputy governor of the North Darfur state, has been formed with the localities of Dar al-Salam, Tawila, El- Fasher, Al-Waha, Kutum as members.
Saleh said that the locality of El- Fasher is ready to carry out the measures necessary to make the agricultural season successful, pointing out that the locality officials will tour the administrative units in the coming days.
He further disclosed that the state government has established special forces called “agricultural season forces” to prevent conflicts over the use of land which become a threat to peace in the region.
“These forces are now ready for reacting to any confrontation. They have been deployed in the specified areas,” he stressed.
According to the commissioner, the state committee, which will supervise the security situation to avoid any potential conflict, would work with the two communities to encourage them to avoid clashes and to seek peaceful settlements.
(ST)