Revenge attacks shake up Darfur

FORO BARANGA / BIRKAT SEIRA – April 11, 2023

---

An unknown number of people were killed and wounded in an attack launched by large groups of armed men on Foro Baranga in West Darfur yesterday after ‘mysterious’ killings. Birkat Seira in Saraf Omra, North Darfur, also witnessed revenge attacks.

Tribal tensions escalated after a man, related to the attackers, was found killed in the area on Sunday. On Monday, another man was killed near Foro Baranga.

News outlet Darfur24 reported that the incidents lead to confrontations between the two tribes to which the killed people belonged.

In response to the violence in Foro Baranga and other attacks and armed robberies in the region, Acting Governor of West Darfur Gen Khamees Abakar declared a two-week State of Emergency, with a curfew between 19:00 and 07:00, which went into immediate effect yesterday.

The Displacement Tracking Matrix of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported the displacement of people living in El Salam and El Shati neighbourhoods in Foro Baranga as a result of the attacks. The area is witnessing large crowds of both sides of the conflict.  

Reports also indicate that the clashes are still going on.

West Darfur witnessed a large number of attacks triggered by tribal conflicts in the past few years. In April last year, at least 168 people were killed in attacks between Arab and Masalit tribes in Kereinik. In June, at least 20 died after clashes erupted after a dispute over agricultural lands between Gimir and Rizeigat tribesmen, Arab nomadic herders.

At the end of 2021, clashes between Misseriya tribesmen and Arab nomads and clashes between Masalit tribesmen and Arab nomads left at least 138 dead.

Strife

Darfur has a long history of strife between Arab herding tribes and non-Arab African herders or sedentary farmers. Nomadic Arab tribesmen were recruited by the previous regime of dictator Omar Al Bashir to join the Janjaweed militias. 

Al Bashir employed these Arab militias to repress a revolt over ethnic marginalisation in the region, mainly targeting non-Arab African farmers in what became known as the Darfur Genocide. Many of these farmers still live in camps for the displaced.

During the war, at least 300,000 people were killed and over 2.5 million were displaced according to the UN.

Many of these tensions still persevere in Darfur. Recent attacks by Rizeigat herdsmen on Daju villages in South Darfur were said to be “organised” and amounting to “ethnic cleansing”.

There have been widespread reports of RSF involvement in the attacks on the villages in Beleil and other atrocities in Darfur. The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed and mainly consist of Arab nomadic herdsmen.

North Darfur

Birkat Seira in Saraf Omra, North Darfur, also witnessed revenge attacks by militant herdsmen on residents of the town.

On Friday, young farmer El Hafiz Hasan was killed by two gunmen whilst returning from his farm near Birkat Seira. His relatives formed a search posse, followed the trails, and managed to seize the attackers, who were then handed over to the police in Saraf Omra.

“The relatives of the killers immediately carried out revenge campaigns against the people of Birkat Seira last night,” an activist told Radio Dabanga on Saturday evening.

“Up until this moment, they are still assaulting farmers, robbing them of their belongings, beating them with rifle butts and whips, calling them racist and obscene names, and letting their camels onto the farms, destroying crops, especially on the watermelon farms around the town.”

‘They are still assaulting farmers, robbing them of their belongings, beating them with rifle butts and whips, calling them racist and obscene names, and letting their camels onto the farms, destroying crops…’

He said that two women were seriously injured and had to be taken to the hospital for urgent surgery.

“The road to Birkat Seira is closed, and sounds of ammunition are heard intermittently, even after the Taraweeh [Ramadan evening prayers], and the situation may grow worse unless the local security committee intervenes to put an end to this violence,” the source reported.

“The people of Birkat Seira have been living in an exceptionally violent situation since 2003 [start of the civil war in Darfur]’, which requires a constant presence of security forces in the area to maintain the security situation.”

Yesterday, the Birkat Seira market was still surrounded by militant herdsmen.

“A truce between both sides was signed on Sunday, but it was not implemented. Everyone is still afraid to leave the town,” the witness said.