El Fasher, July 17(Darfur 24)
Farmers in various areas in the western countryside of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, complained on Wednesday of a package of challenges facing the current agricultural season, including deteriorating security conditions and scarcity of seeds.
Farmer Abu Bakr Ishaq said that the villages of “Umm Jadul, Qarni, Donki Shatta, Abu Daqis, Hillat Dalal and Farshlakh” are witnessing a frightening decline in the security situation coinciding with the entry of the agricultural season, which prevents farmers from practicing their agricultural activities, in addition to the scarcity of seeds due to the failure of the last agricultural season in most areas west of El Fasher.
Ishaq stated that these villages continued to witness repeated attacks on a daily basis by armed men, some of whom took young men in return for financial ransom, and others attacked the villages because of looting.
Fatima Ibrahim Stainieh from the village of “Umm Jadul” pointed out that the armed men these days are confiscating seeds from farmers.
Ibrahim also indicated that the gunmen stole a number of heads of cattle and donkeys from the villages of “Hillat Dalal and Farshlakh” last week, despite the civil administrations informing the command of the joint forces in the Goloa area, west of El Fasher, but the joint forces did not pay any attention to the citizens’ reports.
A number of farmers in the northwestern countryside appealed to the authorities in North Darfur state to provide security and seeds for farmers so that they can carry out their agricultural activities, amid warnings of the failure of the agricultural season.