Jebara al-Bashir and his family used to roam the Sudanese desert with their camels and livestock, moving freely between markets, water sources, and green pastures.
However, since the outbreak of war in 2023, he and other Arab nomads have found themselves stranded in the desert outside the city of El Obeid in central Sudan, falling prey to bandits and ethnic tensions.
Constant Displacement
The war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has displaced approximately 14 million people. It has triggered waves of ethnically motivated bloodshed, alongside the spread of famine and disease.
Local researcher Ibrahim Jumaa stated that the war has also disrupted the delicate balance of land ownership and livestock migration routes that once preserved the nomads’ livelihoods and their broader relationships within the region.
El Obeid is one of Sudan’s largest cities and the capital of North Kordofan State, which has witnessed some of the fiercest battles of the war over the past few months.
Civilians Under Siege
Those who spoke to Reuters from North Kordofan said they found themselves trapped as ethnic hatred linked to the war-fueled largely by social media networks spreads.
“In the past, no one would intercept a person or a nomadic tribe’s caravan, questioning if they were from this place or that,” Al-Bashir said. “A caravan was a caravan, a market was a market, and a road was a road… you moved according to your choice. Now, there is no choice, and there is no place to welcome you.”
He added: “Previously, there were many markets where you could buy and sell… no one hated anyone, and no one rejected anyone. Now, the entire situation is full of warnings.”
Threats from Bandits
In addition to the escalating war, nomads—who Jumaa says number in the millions across Sudan—face threats from bandits who steal livestock.
“In the past, the market was good, and the situation wasn’t like it is now,” said Hamid Mohammed, another herder trapped on the outskirts of El Obeid. “Now is a time of trouble. We cannot go anywhere; if we do, the enemy takes the livestock. Now, our limit is just here in El Obeid.”
The RSF originated from Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, which faced accusations of committing genocide in Darfur in the early 2000s.
The United States and human rights organizations have accused the RSF of committing genocide against non-Arab populations in West Darfur State during the current conflict—an extension of long-standing violence stemming from land disputes.
The RSF has denied responsibility for ethnically targeted killings and stated that those responsible for abuses would be held accountable. Throughout the war, the force has formed links with other Arab tribes, occasionally giving them free rein to carry out looting and kidnappings.
However, some Arab tribes and many of their individual members have not joined the fighting.
Jumaa called for the necessity of designing “social programs focused on rejecting hate speech… establishing the rule of law… and conducting social reconciliations, given that the war has damaged the social fabric of these communities.”
