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Sudanese nomadic conflicts

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Sudanese nomadic conflicts
Locator map of Sudanese conflicts.png
Location of South Kordofan in Sudan, disputed Abyei area highlighted in red
Date January 2009–present
Location Southern Sudan and South Sudan
Status Ongoing
Casualties and losses
2,000[1] – 2,500[2] dead
350,000 displaced[2]
Sudanese nomadic conflicts

Since 2009, a series of conflicts between rival nomadic tribes both in Sudan and South Sudan have resulted in a large number of casualties and displaced thousands.

Contents

[edit] Background

Conflict between nomadic tribes in Sudan is common with fights breaking out over scarce resources, including grazing land, cattle and drinking water. The state of Southern Kordofan is particularly prone to such instances due to its semi-arid climate.[3] The region remains unstable as it lies between Muslim Darfur, currently experiencing a civil war, and the new independent state of South Sudan. Due to this location the state was a key battleground during the 22-year Second Sudanese Civil War that ended in 2005.[3] Fighting in 2008 between the Misseriya and the Rizeigat tribes claimed around 70 lives.[4]

[edit] Timeline

[edit] 2009

[edit] May

Early 2009 saw several instances of fighting between nomadic tribes in Sudan which killed around 900 people, mainly women and children, in the south of the country.[3][4] On 26 May a large scale clash occurred between the Misseriya and the Rizeigat tribes when 2,000 Rizeigat men, mounted on horses and 35 vehicles, attacked a group of Misseriya near to the village of Meiram.[4][5][6] Sudanese police attempted to intervene and establish a buffer zone between the tribes but as they were doing so were attacked by around 3,000 Rizeigat horsemen.[3] The attack killed 75 police officers, 75 from the Rizeigat tribe and between 89 and 109 from the Misseriya.[4]

The Interior Minister, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamad, has pledged to bring those responsible for the fighting to justice and to take steps to disarm civilians.[3] The United Nations Mission in Sudan, which earlier in May deployed 120 peacekeepers to Jonglei state to prevent tribal conflict, is also investigating.[4][7] In the meantime Sudanese authorities have asked both tribes to move at least 5 km from each other to avoid fresh outbreaks of fighting.[6] Whilst fighting in the area appears to have calmed down, the situation remains tense and there are concerns over security for the February national general election.[3]

[edit] June

Main article: 2009 Sobat River ambush

The 2009 Sobat River ambush was a battle between Jikany Nuer tribesmen and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) which was escorting a United Nations (UN) aid convoy on 12 June 2009.

[edit] August

In early morning on 2 August 2009, more than 180 members of the Lou Nuer community were killed, more than 30 others injured and further numbers were declared missing in a "well coordinated and planned" attack carried out whilst they were fishing for food, allegedly by Murle fighters.[8][9] Eleven protective soldiers were also killed.[8] The dead were searching for food amidst severe shortages after barges which were shipping aid to them were attacked the previous June.[8] People were pursued in the direction of a river, with some bodies becoming tangled in fishing nets.[9] The majority of the dead were children and women,[10] with entire families claimed to have been "wiped out".[8][9] The death toll was predicted to rise.[8][10][11]

[edit] 2010

[edit] January

At least 139 people were killed in tribal clashes following a cattle raid in southern Sudan which took place on 2 January 2010..[1]

On 11 January 2010 Nuer attackers targeted a Dinka village killing forty-five civilians and injuring a hundred and two civilians in a particularly brutal attack.[12]

In April 2010 the UN stated that over 400 people have been killed across South Sudan in civil war revenge attacks and cattle raids so far in 2010.[13]

[edit] April

Main article: 2010 South Darfur clash

At least 55 people were killed in an attack in South Darfur between the Sudan People's Liberation Army in South Sudan and another unidentified, disputed party, thought to be either the Rizeigat or Sudan People's Armed Forces.

[edit] November

The UN received reports that Messiria tribe members clashed with members of the Sudanese armed forces in mountainous territory to the west of Kass in South Darfur on 9 and 10 November. The Sudanese army denied being involved in fighting in the area but a spokesman for the Arab United Revolutionary Force Front said that helicopters and jets had attacked their positions, killing seven civilians and two fighters.[14]

[edit] December

Men from the Messiria tribe stopped 150 cars in the state of South Kordofan and took almost 1,000 of the passengers hostage. The hostages were travelling from Khartoum to the south to take part in the 9 January Southern Sudanese independence referendum. The Messiria say they will continue to hold the hostages until the South Sudan's Unity State pays blood money it promised after three Messiria shepherds were killed by southern tribes earlier in the year.[15]

[edit] 2011

See also: 2011 South Sudan clashes

[edit] January

At least 76 people were killed in the Abyei region in clashes between the Messiria and Ngok Dinka that began on 7 January. Casualties amounted to 50 from the Messiria killed and 26 Ngok Dinka and local police killed. The violence took place during the voting in the Southern Sudan independence referendum. Both Sudanese and Southern Sudanese governments accused the other of becoming involved in the fighting but observer, former US president, Jimmy Carter stated that he believed the "national forces in the north and the south have been very careful not to become involved in the conflict".[16]

[edit] February

At least 10 people were killed and others injured in a confrontation between the Messiria and local police in Todach, Abyei on 27 February. The attack occurred within days of a meeting between the leaders of the Messiria and Ngok Dinka to discuss compensation for the 12 Dinka Ngok killed in the January attacks. The meeting failed to reach a resolution. Leaders of the Abyei administration alleged that the tribesmen were aided by the pro-Sudan militias. The confrontation consisted of two separate attacks on the police post at Todach at 4 am and 11.30 am local time. Local government officials alleged that the Sudanese government had ordered the attacks to apply pressure for upcoming talks on the future of Abyei province within Sudan or South Sudan. The Missiria alleged that armed Dinka Ngok tribesmen were responsible and had disguised themselves as police to prevent the Missiria moving cattle from the area. The Missiria alleged that the Dinka Ngok were supported by the South's Sudan People's Liberation Army. The SPLA denied the allegations and stated that not a single SPLA soldier was based in the Abyei province.[17]

[edit] May

At the start of May at least 68 people were killed when members of the Nuer tribe launched several raids on water points used by the Murle tribe and stole 100,000 cattle.[18]

[edit] June

The Missiria tribe launched an attack on a train carrying members of South Sudan's army home just prior to independence from Sudan. The attack was made at Meiram, 50km south of Muglad, and was confirmed by UN officials. The Missiria denied responsibility and instead blamed the attack on Darfur rebels.[19]

[edit] September

Around 30 people were killed, 13 injured and 49 missing after a cattle raid on Mayiandit County in South Sudan's Unity State. Approximately 200 men armed with AK47s, rocket propelled grenades and machine guns took away 100,000 cattle from the local tribe. Police forces were able to recover around 600 of the cattle but were unable to pursue the attackers due to being outnumbered. The local community were angry as South Sudan's government had disarmed them as part of its scheme to reduce attacks but this had left them vulnerable to attacks by others. The attackers were alleged to be dressed in the uniform of the South Sudanese Sudan People's Liberation Army.[20]

[edit] October

In late October clashes occurred between the Awlad Surur and Awlad Heiban factions of the Messiria tribe. The fighting occurred in disputed grazing lands in the Fardus area of South Kordofan, which lies on the traditional migratory route of the tribe. Approximately 300 people were killed and at least 37 wounded with 140 of the dead from the Awlad Heiban and 60 from the Awlad Surur. A spokesman from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement condemned the violence blaming the National Congress Party for arranging the violence and the police for failing to intervene.[21]

[edit] November

November saw the first elements of the Dinka Nok tribe return to Abyei after violence broke out in the area in May. Guarded by Ethiopian peacekeeping forces the tribal leaders said that they had been among 150,000 people forced from the area by Sudanese army troops. The Dinka Nok stated their wish for a permanent Ethiopian presence in the area to ensure the safety of their people and for an end to the influx of Messiria tribemen into the area. The UN World Food Programme provided assistance to 90,000 people in the area between May and August.[22]

[edit] December

At least 37 people were killed in the second week of December in a series of raids carried out by the Murle on the Nuer. The next week further raids occurred on people living near Kapat with Jonglei State governor Kuol Manyang stating "the Murle came... they killed two of the cattle rearers, wounded one and took the cattle". The UN peacekeeping force warned that increasing levels of violence were threatening the nation of South Sudan and urged the resumption of peace talks.[23]

Youths from the Lou Nuer tribe carried out a retaliatory attack against the Murle in Linkuangol, Pibor county on 23 December.[24] Official reports place the toll at 24 killed and at least five wounded, though a member of Vice-President Riek Machar's staff placed the number at 40 killed and reporting seeing bodies lying in the streets of the town.[24] There were also reports of buildings set on fire. Machar visited Linkuangol to urge the 9,000 Lou Nuer in the area to return home and cease their attacks.[24] The Lou Nuer stated that they were acting because the government had failed to stop the violence and that they intended to capture the Murle's county headquarters at Pibor and disarm the tribe.[24] Later hospital figures put the number of injured Murle tribesmen at 88 with Juba hospital's emergency wards at full capacity as a result.[25] More than 20,000 people fled Linkuangol due to the violence.[26]

The Lou Nuer claimed the action was in retaliation for a Murle attack in August which left 700 Nuer dead in Uror county. The August action is thought to have caused the deaths of 861 people with 8,000 houses burnt and 38,000 cattle stolen. The Lou Nuer claim the intention of their December attacks is to find 180 Lou Nuer children they claim were abducted by the Murle in August.[27]

Pibor is located in South Sudan
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Pibor
Location of Pibor in South Sudan

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reacted by deploying a battalion of peacekeepers to Pibor where 6,000 armed youths were said to be headed to attack the Murle there.[28] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced deep concern over the hostilities and urged for an end to the violence.[28] The South Sudanese government also deployed a battalion of army personnel to Pibor where they have taken up positions on the outskirts of town to dissuade any attack.[28] The UN said it was hindered by poor infrastructure and that the only means of entering Pibor at present was by air.[28] It had taken a day and a half to transfer just two armoured personnel carriers to the town and a convoy of reinforcements sent by truck was forced to turn back due to poor road conditions.[28] The UN is hindered by having no military aircraft and being forced to rely on civilian helicopters.[26]

Tens of thousands of Murle people have fled Pibor in fear of more violence.[26] More than 1,000 people have been killed in inter-ethnic clashes in the area in the past few months, with most victims being women and children.[26] The violence is seen as one of the biggest challenges to stability in South Sudan.[26] By Friday 30 December an advance group of 500 Lou Nuer had taken up positions on the outskirts of Pibor.[29]

At 3 pm on 31 December between 3–6,000 Lou Nuer tribesmen attacked a part of Pibor not protected by the UN peacekeepers.[30][27] Houses were reported to have been set on fire and much of the town, including the airport and main hospital, were occupied.[27] Scores of people are reported dead and 20,000 displaced.[27] The Lou Nuer were said to be pursuing members of the Murle who have fled southwards.[31] South Sudan has promised to send more army personnel and 2,000 police to the town to reinforce the 800 troops already there.[31][32] The healthcare charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says that it has lost contact with 130 of its staff who were forced to flee into the bush due to the attack.[31] MSF said that a hospital and two outreach clinics had been overrun with some reports stating that the hospital had been set on fire.[33] Looting was said to have taken place at MSF facilities.[33]

[edit] 2012

[edit] January

By 2 January the majority of the Lou Nuer force were said to have left Pibor and started to move to the South-East with a UN spokesman saying they were "almost certainly looking for cattle".[34] The UN said that it had successfully held the main part of Pibor alongside South Sudanese army troops but that a MSF clinic had been overrun.[34] The South Sudanese army said that it had regained full control of Pibor by 3 January.[35]

On 3 January South Sudan's Peace and Reconciliation Commission said that at least 150 people had been killed in the attack on Pibor.[36] Representatives of the Murle people alleged that some of the people who fled Pibor had been hunted down and killed near to the River Kengen, south-east of the town.[36] They said that women and children had been killed there and some drowned in the river as they tried to flee.[36] Also on 3 January the UN and South Sudanese army received criticism for failing to protect civilians in Pibor, restricting their forces to protecting government buildings.[36]

On 5 January, the South Sudan Council of Ministers, led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, declared the state of Jonglei a humanitarian disaster zone.[37][38]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Scores killed in Sudan tribal clash". Al Jazeera. 7 January 2010. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/01/20101712175653198.html. Retrieved 7 January 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "Timeline-Violence spirals in south Sudan". Reuters. 7 January 2010. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2010/01/07/idUKLDE6060ZB._CH_.2420. Retrieved 7 January 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Scores die in Sudan horse battles". BBC. 29 May 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8073935.stm. Retrieved 29 May 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c d e "Sudan: Almost 250 people killed in tribal clashes". Associated Press. 28 May 2009. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gTomvRk3sDL1Mcu8niHKSJmpC-PwD98G3QS00. Retrieved 29 May 2009. 
  5. ^ Reuters (28 May 2009). "3,000 raiders on horseback unleash terror in Kordofan" (reprint). Daily Nation (16172): p. 17. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/603752/-/13a1f07z/-/. Retrieved 29 May 2009. 
  6. ^ a b "Tribal clashes in Sudan region kill 244: minister". Agence France-Presse. 28 May 2009. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hK6AsQjRU2OASU2bFFrQOG0XpmMw. Retrieved 29 May 2009. 
  7. ^ "Hundreds killed in Sudan nomadic clashes". Sify. 29 May 2009. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jf3vu0jfidf&title=Hundreds_killed_in_Sudan_nomadic_clashes. Retrieved 29 May 2009. 
  8. ^ a b c d e "Scores dead in South Sudan clash". BBC. 3 August 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8181969.stm. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  9. ^ a b c Rice, Xan (4 August 2009). "Women and children targeted in Sudan clash leaving 185 people dead". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/04/sudan-murle-lou-nuer-attack. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  10. ^ a b "More than 160 killed in South Sudan tribal raid". Reuters India. 3 August 2009. http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-41505620090803. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  11. ^ "Deadly clashes in South Sudan". Al Jazeera. 4 August 2009. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/08/200983132130297575.html. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  12. ^ http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100111/world/sudan_unrest_south
  13. ^ "Cattle raid kills 58 in Darfur". Press TV. 25 April 2010. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=124407&sectionid=351020504. Retrieved 25 April 2010. 
  14. ^ "Sudan forces clash with Arabs in Darfur: UN, rebels". Reuters. 11 November 2010. http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE6AA0J920101111?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
  15. ^ "Sudan tribe stages mass abduction". Al Jazeera. 16 December 2010. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/12/20101216213444287165.html. Retrieved 2 January 2011. 
  16. ^ Richmond, Matt (13 January 2011). "Sudan Death Toll in Abyei Region Rises to 76, South’s Army Says". Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-01-13/sudan-death-toll-in-abyei-region-rises-to-76-south-s-army-says.html. Retrieved 15 November 2011. 
  17. ^ "Sudan: Abyei Clashes Leave 10 Dead". Sudan tribune. 27 February 2011. http://allafrica.com/stories/201102281048.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
  18. ^ "Sudan: Dozens Dead in Cattle Raid". New York Times. 2 May 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/africa/03briefs-ART-Sudan.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
  19. ^ "Militia attacks train carrying south Sudanese: UN". Modern Ghana. 26 June 2011. http://www.modernghana.com/news/336605/1/militia-attacks-train-carrying-south-sudanese-un.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
  20. ^ Kuich, Bonifacio Taban (14 September 2011). "Sudan: 30 Dead, 13 Injured in Cattle Raid On Mayiandit". Sudan Tribune. http://allafrica.com/stories/201109150525.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
  21. ^ Bakir, Hussein (26 October 2011). "Misseriya Tribal Fighting Claims 200 Victims". Menafn.com. http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?storyid=%7Bac7d84ba-f767-4753-a0bd-f3b80a387a7b%7D. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
  22. ^ "Sudan: Dinka Nok Leaders Return to Abyei". Radio Dabanga. 4 November 2011. http://allafrica.com/stories/201111050145.html. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
  23. ^ "11 killed in S. Sudan's Jonglei: governor". AFP. 13 December 2011. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h5qCsqqH2tuZYx2uwX_NWp33oFOw?docId=CNG.cde72fdc7fdc86d7bc9c43e1147b39b4.421. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
  24. ^ a b c d "South Sudan VP attempts to stop Jonglei violence". Sudan Tribune. 30 December 2011. http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-VP-attempts-to-stop,41125. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  25. ^ Jackson, Lagu Joseph (30 December 2011). "Sudan: Victims of Lou Nuer-Murle Tribal Fight Arrives Juba". All Africa. http://allafrica.com/stories/201112300736.html. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  26. ^ a b c d e "South Sudan cattle clashes: UN moves troops to Pibor". BBC News. 30 December 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16364244. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  27. ^ a b c d "BREAKING NEWS: Lou-Nuer armed youth enter Pibor town". Sudan Tribune. 31 December 2011. http://www.sudantribune.com/BREAKING-NEWS-Lou-Nuer-armed-youth,41143. Retrieved 1 January 2012. 
  28. ^ a b c d e "South Sudan: UN blue helmets deploy to deter ethnic violence in key town". UN News Centre. 30 December 2011. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40863&Cr=south+sudan&Cr1=. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  29. ^ "U.N. deploys peacekeepers to protect South Sudan town facing attack". CNN. 31 December 2011. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/31/world/africa/south-sudan-violence/. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  30. ^ Kushkush, Isma'il (1 January 2012). "Report: Fighters attack South Sudan town despite presence of U.N. peacekeepers". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/01/world/africa/south-sudan-violence/?hpt=wo_c2. Retrieved 1 January 2012. 
  31. ^ a b c "South Sudan 'sends more troops' to strife-torn town Pibor". BBC News. 1 January 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16377824. Retrieved 1 January 2012. 
  32. ^ "MSF fears for South Sudan staff caught in Pibor violence". Angola Press. 1 January 2012. http://www.portalangop.co.ao/motix/en_us/noticias/africa/2012/0/52/MSF-fears-for-South-Sudan-staff-caught-Pibor-violence,b8ebc0aa-d586-430b-82cb-3761c85e3c0b.html. Retrieved 1 January 2012. 
  33. ^ a b Squires, Nick (2 January 2012). "Fears for MSF staff after South Sudan tribal clashes". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/south-sudan/8987065/Fears-for-MSF-staff-after-South-Sudan-tribal-clashes.html. Retrieved 2 January 2012. 
  34. ^ a b [www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16381579 "UN warns South Sudanese to flee deadly ethnic vendetta"]. BBC News. 2 January 2012. www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16381579. Retrieved 2 January 2012. 
  35. ^ "South Sudan flashpoint town under government control". AFP. 3 January 2012. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gYLS6NorjHPUTvkatZVn40uAmNGQ?docId=CNG.632441e3ed926966f2e9767e3508010c.ad1. Retrieved 3 January 2012. 
  36. ^ a b c d "South Sudanese 'massacred' after fleeing Pibor". BBC News. 3 January 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16394664. Retrieved 3 January 2012. 
  37. ^ Wire Staff, CNN (January 5, 2012). "South Sudan's Jonglei state a 'humanitarian disaster area'". Cable News Network. http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/05/world/africa/south-sudan-jonglei-state/. Retrieved 6 January 2012. 
  38. ^ Staff Writer, RTT (January 5, 2012). "South Sudan's Jonglei State Declared Disaster Zone After Ethnic Clashes". RTT News - Global Financial Newswires. http://www.rttnews.com/Content/MarketSensitiveNews.aspx?Id=1792510&SM=1. Retrieved 6 January 2012. 
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