‘Over 300 farms’ destroyed by herders near Darfur camp

Herders “armed by the government” destroyed more than 300 vegetable farms near a West Darfur camp in retaliation to the alleged murder of two militiamen by a displaced last Monday. Although the displaced confessed killing only of them in self-defense, families of both supposed victims have demanded to be paid exorbitant amounts of blood money. The sheikh denied it and Murnei’s residents staged mass demonstrations. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, the sheikh said the farmlands’ destruction by herders and their livestock is estimated at millions of Sudanese pounds. The sites are all located in Wadi Sula’s Jumjum, Aishbara and Kabere areas, near the camp. Police forces were informed about the offense but they refused to visit the crime scene and assess the damage, the source said. Murnei’s displaced were reportedly growing winter crops such as tomatoes, sugar cane and onions at the destroyed farms. On Thursday, 11 displaced women, including two babies, were attacked by pro-government militiamen in their farm near Murnei. Three of them were critically injured, and one of the babies in the hospital in coma.File photo: Farmers in West Darfur (enoughproject.org/ Laura Jones)Related: Baby in coma after militia attack near Darfur camp (28 March 2013)‘Mass demonstration’ in W Darfur camp against militias’ ‘abuses’ (26 March 2013)