Another displaced farmer killed in North Darfur

A displaced farmer was killed by three armed men in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, on Tuesday. The incident follows a wave of attacks on displaced farmers and villages in North Darfur last month.

A woman from Kabkabiya told Radio Dabanga that gunmen on motorcycles intercepted Mohamed Siddig (25) on Tabu Kino Street, 6 km southeast of Kabkabiya, as he was returning from his farm on Tuesday evening.

She said that the incident was reported to the Kabkabiya police.

According to the woman, the incident caused a state of terror and panic among the displaced and that this was heightened by the heavy proliferation of motorcyclists and weapons inside and outside Kabkabiya, especially in agricultural areas.

Last month, displaced farmers already warned about the lack of security and the attacks they face on their farms. They demanded better protection during the agricultural season.

North Darfur's displaced farmers

During the war in Darfur, Darfuri farmers faced atrocious attacks on their villages by government-backed Arab herding militias called the Janjaweed* in which their farms were occupied. Millions had to flee and found refuge in camps for the displaced but even these were frequently attacked.

Many people displaced by the war in Darfur since 2003 do still not feel safe enough to permanently return to their original farms. Often, they come back during the agricultural season to tend to their farms or commute from the camps.