Farmers killed, abducted by herders in North Darfur

A farmer was killed and another abducted after they confronted armed herders grazing livestock on their farms at Um Baji south of Tabit on Wednesday. Local leaders have called for a military force to be stationed at Gallab to protect the farms.

Suleima Yahya was abducted while Abdallah Ibrahim died on the spot in Wednesday’s attack.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the herders trespassed with their camels and cows the areas of Galab, Shurfa, Hillet Sinin and Arda. When the farmers confronted them, they opened fire killing Ibrahim and then abducted Yahya.

They said that the herders on double-cab vehicles with mounted with dushka .50-calibre machineguns trespassed with camels and cows on the farms by force of arms. This led to the destruction of large areas of millet, sorghum, sesame, groundnuts, watermelonn and okra estimated at thousands of Sudanese Pounds. They explained that they had filed several complaints to the authorities, without finding any response.

They renewed their demand for the authorities to intervene so that they could harvest their promising crops.

Residents of Kulgi, Bobai Sijlli and Sousou areas have complained that the herders are trespassing on their farms with their camels and cows at night.

Omda Mukhtar Boash said the preliminary inventory of the areas damaged and destroyed by the herders is about 250 farms.

He called on the authorities to put a military force at Gallab area to put an end to the violations of herders.