At least 30 murders have occurred due to disputes over agricultural land, theft, and issues of honor in Al-Firdous locality, East Darfur, over the past three months, police said.
The Director of Al-Firdous Police, Maj Ahmed Atiyat-Allah Ahmed, told Radio Tamazuj that the area remains one of the safer localities in the state despite the high murder rate.
He attributed most of the murders to conflicts over agricultural lands, livestock theft, and honor-related disputes, noting that 30 premeditated incidents occurred from March to June this year.
He warned the residents against believing the claims that there were no state or laws in Sudan, warning that anyone who violates the law will be arrested.
Ahmed urged farmers not to encroach on livestock migration routes, or the nomadic resting areas to prevent conflicts with the herders, especially as the latter prepare to return from South Sudan to the north for the rainy season. He praised the cooperation between local authorities, the police, and citizens to ensure security.
Social expert Issam Suleiman Hassan attributes the prevalence of the murders to three factors. “The first is the legal vacuum due to the absence of a judicial authority to deter criminals, meaning those who commit crimes do not face effective laws. The current justice system operates on reconciliation through traditional mediators, often resolving murder cases with blood money paid collectively by the perpetrator’s family, which does not impose significant financial penalties on the individual criminal. The second is economic, as 90% of citizens are unemployed due to the war, leading some to resort to theft or looting, crimes often associated with murder. The third factor is the pervasive violence in the community’s environment.”