2009 Sudanese nomadic conflicts
Encyclopedia
Since 2009, a series of conflicts between rival nomadic tribes in Sudan
and South Sudan
have caused a large number of casualties and displaced thousands.
Darfur
, currently experiencing a civil war
, and the new Christian
autonomous 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. Fighting in 2008 between the Misseriya and the Rizeigat
tribes claimed around 70 lives.
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. The attack killed 75 police officers, 75 from the Rizeigat tribe and between 89 and 109 from the Misseriya.
The Interior Minister
, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamad
, has pledged to bring those responsible for the fighting to justice and to take steps to disarm civilians. The United Nations Mission in Sudan
, which earlier in May deployed 120 peacekeepers to Jonglei
state to prevent tribal conflict, is also investigating. In the meantime Sudanese authorities have asked both tribes to move at least 5 km from each other to avoid fresh outbreaks of fighting. 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.
tribesmen and the Sudan
ese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) which was escort
ing a United Nations
(UN) aid convoy on 12 June 2009.
fighters. Eleven protective soldiers were also killed. The dead were searching for food amidst severe shortages after barges which were shipping aid to them were attacked the previous June
. People were pursued in the direction of a river, with some bodies becoming tangled in fishing nets. The majority of the dead were children and women, with entire families claimed to have been "wiped out". The death toll was predicted to rise.
On January 11, 2010 Nuer attackers targeted a Dinka village killing forty-five civilians and injuring a hundred and two civilians in a particularly brutal attack.
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.
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.
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.
. 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.
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".
, and was confirmed by UN officials. The Missiria denied responsibility and instead blamed the attack on Darfur rebels.
for arranging the violence and the police for failing to intervene.
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
have caused a large number of casualties and displaced thousands.
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. The region remains unstable as it lies between MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, currently experiencing a civil war
War in Darfur
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
, and the new Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
autonomous state of South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. Due to this location the state was a key battleground during the 22-year Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
that ended in 2005. Fighting in 2008 between the Misseriya and the Rizeigat
Rizeigat
The Rizeigat, or Rizigat, or Rezeigat are a Muslim and Arabic tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara people in Sudan's Darfur region. The Rizeigat belong to the greater Baggara Arabs fraternity of Darfur and Kordofan and speak Sudanese Arabic...
tribes claimed around 70 lives.
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. 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. Sudanese policeLaw enforcement in Sudan
The International Police is a functional organization made up of police officers from all over the world, serving mostly under the direction of the United Nations, to help train, recruit, and field police forces in war torn countries. The force is usually deployed into a war torn country initially...
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. The attack killed 75 police officers, 75 from the Rizeigat tribe and between 89 and 109 from the Misseriya.
The Interior Minister
Interior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamad
Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamad
Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamad is a Sudanese politician of the National Congress Party, who governed Kassala State from 2006 until 2008, whereupon he adopted the position of Minister of the Interior in the Ministry of Interior Affairs. He is noted for his liaison with United Nations peacekeeping forces in...
, has pledged to bring those responsible for the fighting to justice and to take steps to disarm civilians. The United Nations Mission in Sudan
United Nations Mission in Sudan
The United Nations Mission in the Sudan was established by the UN Security Council under Resolution 1590 of 24 March 2005, in response to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of the Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement on January 9, 2005 in Nairobi,...
, which earlier in May deployed 120 peacekeepers to Jonglei
Jonglei
Jonglei is one of the 10 states of South Sudan. Jonglei is the largest state in the Republic of South Sudan, with approximately 122,479 km2, as well as the most populous according to the controversial 2008 census conducted during present-day South Sudan's second period of autonomy. Bor is the...
state to prevent tribal conflict, is also investigating. In the meantime Sudanese authorities have asked both tribes to move at least 5 km from each other to avoid fresh outbreaks of fighting. 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.
June
The 2009 Sobat River ambush was a battle between Jikany NuerJikany Nuer
The Jikany Nuer are a section of the Nuer people who mainly live in the eastern part of Upper Nile state in South Sudan, particularly around Nasir in Nasir County.-Civil war:...
tribesmen and the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) which was escort
Escort
-Protection:*Police escort, a feature offered by law enforcement agencies to assist in transporting individuals.*Safety escort service, a service provided on and around many college and university campuses to help ensure the safety of students and staff....
ing a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(UN) aid convoy on 12 June 2009.
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 MurleMurle
The Murle are an ethnic group residing in Pibor County, Jonglei State, South Sudan as well as in Ethiopia. They have also been referred to in the literature as Beir by the Dinka or others who got information from them...
fighters. Eleven protective soldiers were also killed. The dead were searching for food amidst severe shortages after barges which were shipping aid to them were attacked the previous June
2009 Sobat River ambush
The 2009 Sobat River ambush was a battle between Jikany Nuer tribesmen and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army which was escorting a United Nations aid convoy on 12 June 2009.-Inspection and exchange of gunfire:...
. People were pursued in the direction of a river, with some bodies becoming tangled in fishing nets. The majority of the dead were children and women, with entire families claimed to have been "wiped out". The death toll was predicted to rise.
January
At least 139 people were killed in tribal clashes following a cattle raid in southern Sudan which took place on 2 January 2010..On January 11, 2010 Nuer attackers targeted a Dinka village killing forty-five civilians and injuring a hundred and two civilians in a particularly brutal attack.
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.
April
At least 55 people were killed in an attack in South DarfurSouth Darfur
South Darfur is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the three states that compose the region of Darfur in western Sudan. It has an area of and an estimated population of approximately 2,890,000 . Nyala is the capital of the state. The State was affected by the 2010 Sahel...
between the Sudan People's Liberation Army in South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
and another unidentified, disputed party, thought to be either the Rizeigat
Rizeigat
The Rizeigat, or Rizigat, or Rezeigat are a Muslim and Arabic tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara people in Sudan's Darfur region. The Rizeigat belong to the greater Baggara Arabs fraternity of Darfur and Kordofan and speak Sudanese Arabic...
or Sudan People's Armed Forces.
November
The UN received reports that Messiria tribe members clashed with members of the Sudanese armed forces in mountainous territory to the west of KassKass
-People:*Amalie Kass , American historian.*Amy Kass , American academic.*Carmen Kass , Estonian supermodel.*Danny Kass , American snowboarder.*Deborah Kass , American painter...
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.
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 referendumSouthern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011
A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation...
. 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.
January
At least 76 people were killed in the AbyeiAbyei
The Abyei Area is an area of in Sudan accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the resolution of the Abyei conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War. The capital of Abyei Area is Abyei Town...
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
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
stated that he believed the "national forces in the north and the south have been very careful not to become involved in the conflict".
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.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.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 MugladMuglad
Muglad is a town in West Kurdufan State in the center of Sudan. It is the center town of the Messeria tribe who arrived in the area in 1770.- Transport :It is served by a railway station on the Waw branch of Sudan Railways....
, and was confirmed by UN officials. The Missiria denied responsibility and instead blamed the attack on Darfur rebels.
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.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 PartyNational Congress (Sudan)
The National Congress or National Congress Party ' is the governing official political party of Sudan. It is headed by Omar al-Bashir, who has been President of Sudan since he seized power in a military coup on 30 June 1989, and began institutionalizing Sharia law at a national level...
for arranging the violence and the police for failing to intervene.