Farmers complain of herders’ invasion

Say they have started letting cattle graze on fields before the agreed deadline
Farmers across all Darfur states complained to Radio Dabanga on Friday about their farms being invaded by herders.
Radio Dabanga spoke to farmers from Kutum and Kabkabiya in North Darfur; Garsila, For Baranga and Mornei in West Darfur as well as Marshinj, El Malam and Shareiya in South Darfur.
Farmers expressed their anxiety over the herders releasing their cattle on the farms before the agreed upon deadline.
The conflict between herders, who are nomadic, and farmers who reside on their land has been pertinent since ages in Sudan.
‘No response from authorities’
Farmers from Kabkabiya told Radio Dabanga, “Despite lodging a number of complaints to the local authorities and appealing to the sheikhs of the herders, we have not received any positive response. Threats and abuses against us by herders have increased.”
He added that there were shootings carried out in the farms, especially during the days of Eid Eladha.
‘We harvest at night’
Meanwhile farmers from Garsila, Sirba, For Baranga and Mornei in West Darfur stated that they have resorted to gathering their harvests at night even before they are fully ripe to avoid being abused by the herders during day.
“We do it because then we can at least have a harvest and avoid losses. The herders have also started releasing their cattle at night when they sensed what we were up to,” one of them said.
‘No hope’
In South Darfur’s Kutum locality, farmers have given up hope after the cattle have destroyed most of the crops and gardens which they say are at a distance of two kilometers from the house of the commissioner.
They also expressed their regret over the efforts which they had taken to make their farming harvests fruitful over this season.