Livestock destroys crops in North Darfur, farmers raped, beaten

A large group of militant herders are grazing their livestock on farms in Tawila, Dar El Salam and El Fasher localities in North Darfur since Friday. A number of them raped a woman in the area of Shangil Tobaya on Wednesday. In El Fasher locality, they wounded seven women farmers on Tuesday.

Farmers living in Tawila, Dar El Salam and El Fasher localities complained to Radio Dabanga about militiamen driving their livestock into their farms by force of arms.

“Large areas cultivated with millet, sesame, tomato, okra, and water melons have been destroyed,” multiple sources reported. “A large group of janjaweed wearing military uniforms came from the north in four vehicles driving huge flocks of camels and cows into our farms”.

He said that forces of the North Darfur High Committee for the Protection of the Agricultural Season failed to convince the herders to withdraw their livestock. “The local authorities dod not move at all.”

The same herders raped a woman on her farm in the area of Arasho, north of Shangil Tobaya in Tawila locality, on Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning, seven women farmers were injured when they attempted to chase a large number of cows and camels from their farms in the area of Abu Zireiga, southwest of El Fasher.

“When we confronted the intruders, they severely beat us with their whips. Seven women sustained injuries, two of them seriously. They are currently being treated at the El Fasher Teaching Hospital,” a farmer reported from Abu Zireiga.