Jebel Moon: A Humanitarian Crisis

‘You are racist and arrogant. All the country is Darfur’. This was the chant that boomed across Sudan upon the rise of the revolution in 2019, which toppled former Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir.

It is the collective responsibility of the Sudanese people to act on these words and bring the recent distressing events in Jebel Moon in West Darfur to public discourse. 

The Doctors’ Commission of the region reported that the erupted, and ongoing, conflicts between the local communities in Jebel Moon on 9 October 2021 led to the deaths of 138 people and left 106 injured. The Commission also stated that many of the injured passed away because they were unable to reach the medical facilities in time or lacked necessary capabilities in rural hospitals. 

Jebel Moon is located in West Darfur state with a population of approximately 68,500 among which more than 46,600 require humanitarian aid. The major town of Sileia provides nearly all the services to the surrounding villages. However, with the recent tensions and security concerns, supplies are cut off and the urgently needed healthcare services are inaccessible.

Herding and agriculture are the main activities of the Jebel Moon populace. According to several news sources, a nomad civilian police squad was tracking stolen camels when attacked by an armed group of militiamen killing 11 people and wounding six. The assault escalated to fire-armed clashes between the Misseriya farmers and Arab nomadic herders, which resulted in the displacement of 6,655 people (1,331 families) to nearby villages between 29 November and 2 December 2021, and 2,261 individuals crossed the borders to Chad, according to UNHCR reports. The crisis is compounded by the burning of 46 villages and looting of livelihood assets including cattle, crops, and harvested food stocks.

Sudan News Agency (SUNA) stated that military reinforcements from Rapid Support Force (RSF) were mobilised to the West Darfur to join the local police force and aid in resolving the conflict between the parties and maintaining order in the Kreinik locality. Tensions are still on the rise in the region and recent violence incidents in Al Geneina were reported on 5 December 2021. 

According to the UN, 300,000 individuals lost their lives in the Darfur region since the eruption of the civil war in 2003 wherein minority armed groups opposed the government of the ousted president Omar Al- Bashir on claims of political and economic marginalisation.  

The Sudanese revolution heralds a new phase for the future of Sudan. The civil wars that devastated the country for over 30 years need to come to an end to rebuild a country on the foundations of democracy and sovereignty. 

Freedom, peace, and justice were the words that ringed out the end of the previous government. Freedom, peace, and justice are the rights of every living Sudanese. The relatively minimal attention and media coverage given to the ongoing human tragedies in West Darfur and other marginalised regions is concerning.

It is only through the recognition of the collective responsibility towards each other, humans can live in a state that respects and promotes diversity, equality, and wellbeing. A great deal of this responsibility consists of raising awareness and speaking up whenever injustice befalls. What is happening is Jebel Moon concerns all of Sudan and it is the duty of the public to direct local, and international attention to these events and to demand the government to take action accordingly.    

Mohammad Othman is a full-time copywriter by day, and deep learning enthusiast by night. In his free time, he enjoys compiling infinite lo-fi playlists, psycho-analysing anime superheroes, and uncovering cats plots for world domination.