Central Darfur butchers strike against extortion

The butchers in Abta, Zalingei locality in Central Darfur went on strike on Sunday, because of extortion by herdsmen. One of the butchers in Abta told Radio Dabanga that they have decided on an open-ended strike as they are continuously subject to extortion by “pro-government militant herders”. “Whenever we buy a camel or a cow, with a guarantee, a herder appears after the slaughter, claiming that the camel or the cow belonged to him and was stolen. The herder then demands a compensation of SDG10,000 ($1,740) to SDG 15,000 ($2,610) for a camel, and between SDG5,000 ($870) and SDG6,000 ($1,045) for a cow. “This while we buy a camel for the price of SDG2,000 ($350) to SDG3,000 ($520), and a cow for SDG1000 ($175) to SDG2,000 ($350).” The butcher said that they will lift their strike only after adequate guarantees have been found against the extortion by “those Janjaweed”. File photo: Abbala herdsmen (Albert González Farran/Unamid) Related:Central Darfuri herdsmen extort thousands from farmers (19 January 2014)‘Firewood fees’ levied in North Darfur’s Kabkabiya (13 January 2014)Shortages as security forces levy fees for sorghum transports in West Darfur (22 October 2013)