More violent incidents in North and Central Darfur

The Nomads and Shepherds Coordination announced that one herder died of a gunshot wound in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, yesterday. In Central Darfur, a displaced person was injured during a violent robbery targeting farmers.

The coordination said in a press statement that Saleh Hamed intended to visit the El Fasher market. He came with his cattle from the outskirts of El Fasher and spent the night in the public corral/cattle pen.

An armed man shot him early on Monday morning and fled into the city’s neighbourhoods.

The coordination condemned the incident and blamed the state government for the insecurity in the region. They called for the arrest of the perpetrator to bring him to justice.

Central Darfur

In Central Darfur, displaced Muzamil Mousa (15) was injured in an armed robbery near Tur on Sunday.

Local Adam Okar told Radio Dabanga that armed men attacked the farmers in Jaref Ombari, five kilometres west of Tur, on Sunday evening. They fired heavily in the air. Mousa, living in the Eastern Tur camp for displaced people, was hit by a stray bullet.

The attackers then beat up four farmers, including a woman, and stole dozens of sheep and more than ten mobile phones.

The farmers filed a complaint with the Central Reserve Police in the Tur Army garrison before a local rescue posse moved to the scene of the incident. The incident caused farmers to flee their farms and return to villages and camps.

Darfur violence and the agricultural season

Yesterday, Radio Dabanga reported on other violent incidents in Darfur with underlying tensions between displaced farmers and herding groups.

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 since the war in Darfur erupted in early 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.