Tawila, September 08 (Darfur24)
Farmers in Tawila locality, North Darfur, have begun filing complaints against the civilian authority affiliated with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nour, accusing it of seizing privately owned agricultural land.
Farmers told Darfur24 they are seeking to reclaim agricultural plots in Tawila and Dabba Nayra that they say the movement’s civilian authority took and later offered to investors for billions of Sudanese pounds before converting them into commercial shops.
The farmers said the move threatens land they depend on for agriculture and follows earlier complaints over alleged encroachment on privately owned land. Citizens in Tawila previously reported that the authority had seized agricultural plots and put them up for public auction.
The farmers said they decided to pursue legal action after what they described as continued encroachment on citizens’ land, despite assurances from some movement commanders that private property would be protected.
They cited a previous meeting between residents, including community leaders, sheikhs and landowners, and the commander of the Dabba Nayra garrison, who they said had pledged to address the issue.
However, some farmers questioned whether judicial authorities in areas controlled by the movement could provide an impartial avenue for resolving the disputes.
One farmer told Darfur24 that judicial departments and popular courts are politicized and serve the interests of the movement’s civilian authority.
The farmer also alleged that a prominent community leader working with the popular courts was recently arrested and dismissed by the civilian authority after refusing to support the seizure of farmland belonging to him in Dabba Nayra, south of Tawila. The farmer said the community leader had also criticized the authority’s handling of land disputes.
The Sudan Liberation Movement expanded its presence in Tawila after the outbreak of war, saying it was acting to protect civilians. The movement also controls large areas of Jebel Marra in central and southern Darfur.