Insecurity Rampant in Sudanese Nuba Mountains

Kologi / Burambeeta / Dalami — At least three farmers were killed in the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan, in the past weeks. Sesame farmers in Dalami are complaining about recurrent thefts of their crops, while the authorities do not intervene. People say the region is becoming "a second Darfur".

The Sudanese Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO) reported yesterday that the sons of Abdelbagi Annad (53) found him dead at his farm in Um Deheileib, about 30 km north of Kologi, on November 15. He was shot in the head.

Two days before, the body of Haroun Komi (36) was found with gunshots in the head at his farm in the same area.

The two cases were separately reported to the Kologi Police Station but no investigations were carried out. The police did not even visit the crime scenes, HUDO states.

On November 18, Simon Mallaf (56) was working at his farm in Hejeir Yasin near Um Burambeeta in Rashad locality, when three armed and masked men shot him and took his money and mobile telephone. When he did not return home, one of his sons went out and found his father shot in his abdomen, HUDO reported on November 25.

He was taken to the hospital of Um Burambeeta. The victim's family reported the case to the police in the town. That evening, Mallaf died of his wounds, during his transport to a better equipped hospital in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, about 200 km from Um Burambeeta.

Robberies

Sesame farmers in Dalami locality and neighbouring areas are complaining about the theft of their crops by armed groups of men riding on motorcycles, Abdulrahim Kounda told Radio Dabanga from the area.

"The robberies are mostly occurring at night," he said.

A number of market traders were robbed of their goods on Wednesday. The victims were travelling in a lorry from Dalami to El Rahad in North Kordofan, when they were intercepted by a group of gunmen.

Kounda added that a vehicle was attacked by masked men on the road connecting Dalami with Habila road on Friday. "The region is becoming a second Darfur, with all this violence," people in the area commented.

In the first week of November, seven farmers and herders were killed in separate attacks in the localities of Rashad and Talodi.