Attacks on displaced farmers in Kutum

Displaced people in Kutum locality in North Darfur have complained about the escalation of attacks by herders who trespass with their livestock into gardens and orchards.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, several displaced people in Kassab and Fata Borno camps in Kutum pointed out that most herders are armed and force the displaced people to leave the area.

“A group of herders riding camels and motorcycles prevented us from farming and expelled us from the area where we collect wood and straw, in the past few weeks,” a camp resident said.

The herders subsequently threatened them that anyone who goes out of the camp into the open, would be beaten and flogged, the resident said.

The displaced people have appealed to local and state authorities to intervene to prevent and expel the herders and their livestock from their fields.

Earlier this week, armed herders shot dead two farmers near Tabit in Tawila locality, North Darfur.

On January 13, herders also trespassed with their livestock on the farms at Sani. When the farmers tried to chase the animals off their fields, armed men in three vehicles mounted with machine guns arrived at the scene.

One farmer was killed outright, and two others sustained injuries.