رعاة يهددون مزارعين “بالسلاح” فى البحر الاحمر

Quote: EC Newspaper: Portsudan: Salih Ahmed A number of herdsmen allowed their animal to go stray on farmland in Leait area in the south of Red Sea Province (Sudan). A huge amount of crop reported to have been destroyed as a result. Once intercepted by farmers, the herdsmen were reportedly in a threatening mode. Farmers and their community leaders have expressed their fears of escalating confrontations, as this wasn’t the first incident of its kind. Farmers in the area have also revealed to EC that this isn’t the first time for them to complain to the authorities about such occurrences of herdsmen abusing their farms in the run up to harvest. “The police designated a team to guard farmlands only to be withdrawn just before mid July harvest” Said farmer Omer Idris to EC. Farmers in the area described the decision as offensive and warned the authorities that their patience is running and that they may have to resort to self-defense in the face of this apparent impotence and absence of the state. Salih Mohamed Ali, a local community leader placed the blame squarely on local authorities for any potential adverse consequences resulting in conflict between different components of the community. He called upon security agencies to interfere decisively and provide protection to farmers. He also emphasised the necessity of disarming herdsmen.