Shepherd militants attack crops

Set their livestock on farmlands before the agreed-upon deadlineShepherd militants in West Darfur’s Mornei region destroyed large areas of farms in the locality by letting their livestock graze, sources told Radio Dabanga on Friday.A sheikh (leader) of the Mornei camp told Radio Dabanga that the livestock had been let out on farmlands of refugees in the region before the deadline that had been agreed upon. “This is unfair and has caused damage to plantations of farmers and displaced people in valley Kearney Tora, and Valley Tor. The shepherds also let their cattle on to the valleys of Kabiri near Mornei camp,” the sheikh said.He added that the shepherds were heavily armed and beat the men in the farms who tried preventing the livestock from entering their land. “The militants also raped women with the farms,” he said.Radio Dabanga reported on Thursday about the occurrence of serial rapes in Mornei region by shepherd militants.The army and police authorities have been notified of the crimes but they have stood helpless being unable to deter the shepherds from abusing farmers.The sheikh predicted a famine in the region as many crops have been damaged in the incident. “Given the current food crisis from the lack of food rations on the part of the World Food Program, the trouble is only going to increase,” the sheikh told Radio Dabanga from Mornei camp.