Livestock exporters in Sudan’s East Darfur State have announced substantial financial losses occasioned by the suspension of livestock exports due to the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which commenced on 15 April 2023.
Ali Hamid Abbakar, the head of the Livestock Exporters Association in East Darfur, told Radio Tamazuj that traders have faced significant financial losses due to the disruption in livestock exports.
“After more than a year of war, last year’s purchases have not been exported and we are retaining the cattle,” he lamented. “This situation exacerbates the losses because the cattle need fodder, grazing, supervision, and sustenance for the workers.”
Abbakar noted that some traders attempted to export livestock during the war but faced security issues due to banditry and the absence of state authority.
He urged the leadership of the SAF and the RSF to embrace the Jeddah Platform to reach an agreement and stop the war which has disrupted schools and hospitals and hindered trade.
Another livestock trader, Abdullah Idris, also said the war had immensely affected their sources of income and livelihoods.
“There have been significant problems with livestock trade during the war. We buy livestock at one price and sell it at another and despite the large price difference between buying and selling, in the end, we find ourselves losing,” he explained. “Another issue we face is the lack of cash in the sales process due to the lack of security. There is no cash in Al-Moweilih market, which is the central market for livestock sales in Omdurman.”
Idris highlighted that the road is unsafe and it takes a long time, up to 65 days to move livestock and that some areas along the way have no grass, which leads to the animals losing weight.
“To prepare them for sale, you have to feed them, yet the cost of fodder for a herd of 100 exceeds 1.5 million Sudanese Pounds to increase their weight before offering them for sale,” he explained.
He said he hoped the war could end so that trade would return to normal.