Sudanese nomadic conflicts are non-state conflicts between rival nomadic tribes in Sudan and South Sudan. These conflicts are common and typically arise over scarce resources such as grazing land, cattle, and drinking water. Tribes involved in these clashes include the Messiria, Maalia, Rizeigat and Bani Hussein Arabic tribes inhabiting Darfur and West Kordofan, as well as the Dinka, Nuer and Murle African ethnic groups inhabiting South Sudan. The conflicts have been intensified by broader wars in the region, particularly the Second Sudanese Civil War, the War in Darfur and the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
Over the years, clashes between rival ethnic militias have caused significant casualties and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Notable violent incidents include:
1993: between Jikany Nuer and Lou Nuer in Upper Nile; 20092012: clashes between Lou Nuer and Murle in Jonglei; 20132014: conflict involving the Maalia, Rizeigat, Messiria, Salamat and Bani Hussein in Darfur and West Kordofan.
Timeline 2008 Clashes between the Messiria and the Rizeigat tribes in 2008 resulted in about 70 deaths.
2009 May In early 2009, several incidents of tribal fighting in southern Sudan killed about 900 people, most of them women and children.Richard Crockett. Sudan Darfur and the Failure of an African State (2010) Yale University Press. On 26 May 2008, a large-scale clash took place near the village of Meiram, when about 2,000 Rizeigat men mounted on horses and supported by 35 vehicles attacked a group of Messiria. Sudanese police attempted to intervene by establishing a buffer zone, but were themselves attacked by an estimated 3,000 Rizeigat horsemen. Casualties included 75 police officers, 75 members of the Rizeigat tribe, and between 89 and 109 from the Messiria.
The interior minister, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamad, pledged to bring those responsible to justice and announced steps to disarm civilians. The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which had deployed 120 peacekeepers to Jonglei state earlier in May to prevent tribal violence, also began an investigation. Sudanese authorities instructed both tribes to maintain a distance of at least 5 km from each other to avoid further clashes. Although fighting in the area subsided, tensions remained, raising concerns about security ahead of the national elections scheduled for February national general election.
June
The 2009 Sobat River ambush was a battle between Jikany Nuer tribesmen and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) which was escorting a United Nations (UN) aid convoy on 12 June 2009.
August Early morning on 2 August 2009, more than 180 members of the Lou Nuer community were killed, over 30 injured, and many reported missing in a "well-coordinated and planned" attack allegedly carried out by Murle fighters while the victims were fishing for food. Eleven SPLA soldiers assigned to protect civilians were also killed. The victims had been fishing due to severe food shortages following the June attacks on aid barges delivering supplies to the area. During the assault, some people were pursued toward a river and several bodies became entangled in fishing nets. Most of the dead were women and children, with reports that entire families had been "wiped out." The death toll was expected to rise.
2010 January On 2 January 2010, at least 139 people were killed in tribal clashes following a cattle raid in Southern Sudan.
On 11 January 2010, Nuer fighters attacked a Dinka village, killing 45 civilians and injuring 102 in what was described as a particularly brutal assault.
April
At least 55 people were killed in an attack in South Darfur between the Sudan People's Liberation Army in South Sudan and another unidentified, disputed party, thought to be either the Rizeigat or Sudan People's Armed Forces.
November The United Nations received reports that members of the Messiria people clashed with the Sudanese Armed Forces in mountainous territory west of Kas, South Darfur, on 9–10 November 2010. The Sudanese army denied involvement in the fighting. However, a spokesman for the Arab United Revolutionary Force Front claimed that helicopters and jets had attacked their positions, killing seven civilians and two fighters.
December In December, armed Messiria tribesmen stopped about 150 cars in South Kordofan and took nearly 1,000 passengers hostage. The hostages were traveling from Khartoum to Southern Sudan to participate in the 9 January 2011 independence referendum. The Messiria stated that they would continue to hold the captives until Unity State in South Sudan paid blood money promised after three Messiria shepherds were killed by southern tribes earlier in the year.
2011
January At least 76 people were killed in the Abyei region during clashes between the Messiria and Ngok Dinka that began on 7 January 2011. Casualties included 50 Messiria and 26 Ngok Dinka and local police. The violence occurred during the South Sudanese independence referendum. Both the Sudanese and Southern Sudanese governments accused each other of involvement in the fighting, but observer and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter stated that he believed "the national forces in the north and the south have been very careful not to become involved in the conflict."
February At least 10 people were killed and others injured in a confrontation between the Messiria and local police in Todach, Abyei, on 27 February 2011. The attack came days after a meeting between Messiria and Ngok Dinka leaders to discuss compensation for the 12 Ngok Dinka killed in the January clashes, which ended without resolution. Leaders of the Abyei administration alleged that the tribesmen were supported by pro-Sudan militias.
The confrontation consisted of two separate attacks on the police post at Todach, at 4:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. local time. Local government officials claimed that the Sudanese government had ordered the attacks to increase pressure ahead of talks on Abyei's future status within Sudan or South Sudan. The Messiria alleged that armed Ngok Dinka tribesmen were responsible and had disguised themselves as police to block cattle movement. They further claimed that the Ngok Dinka were supported by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). The SPLA denied the allegations, stating that no SPLA soldiers were stationed in the Abyei region.
May At the start of May 2011, at least 68 people were killed when members of the Nuer tribe carried out several raids on water points used by the Murle tribe and stole an estimated 100,000 cattle.
June In June 2011, the Messiria tribe reportedly attacked a train carrying members of South Sudan's army returning home shortly before the country's independence. The attack took place at Meiram, about 50 km south of Muglad, and was confirmed by UN officials. The Messiria denied involvement and blamed the attack on Darfur rebels.
September
Around 30 people were killed, 13 injured, and 49 reported missing after a cattle raid in Mayiandit County, Unity State. Approximately 200 men armed with AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, and machine guns stole about 100,000 cattle from the local community. Police forces managed to recover around 600 of the cattle but were unable to pursue the attackers due to being outnumbered. Local residents expressed anger, noting that the government's disarmament program intended to reduce attacks had left them vulnerable. The attackers were allegedly dressed in the uniform of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).
October In late October 2011, clashes occurred between the Awlad Surur and Awlad Heiban factions of the Messiria tribe. The fighting occurred on disputed grazing lands in the Fardus area of South Kordofan, which lies on the traditional migratory route of the tribe. Approximately 300 people were killed and at least 37 wounded with 140 of the dead from the Awlad Heiban and 60 from the Awlad Surur. A spokesman from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement condemned the violence blaming the National Congress Party for arranging the violence and the police for failing to intervene.
November November 2011 saw the first elements of the Dinka Ngok tribe return to Abyei after violence broke out in the area in May. Guarded by Ethiopian peacekeeping forces the tribal leaders said that they had been among 150,000 people forced from the area by Sudanese army troops. The Dinka Nok stated their wish for a permanent Ethiopian presence in the area to ensure the safety of their people and for an end to the influx of Messiria tribesmen into the area. The UN World Food Programme provided assistance to 90,000 people in the area between May and August 2011.
December In the second week of December 2011, at least 37 people were killed in a series of raids carried out by the Murle against the Nuer. The following week, two cattle herders were killed, one wounded, and livestock stolen. The United Nations peacekeeping force warned that escalating violence was threatening the stability of South Sudan and urged the resumption of peace talks.
On 23 December, youths from the Lou Nuer tribe launched a retaliatory attack against the Murle in Linkuangol, Pibor County. Official reports place the toll at 24 killed and at least five wounded, though a member of vice-president Riek Machar's staff placed the number at 40 killed and reporting seeing bodies lying in the streets of the town. There were also reports of buildings set on fire. Machar visited Linkuangol to urge the 9,000 Lou Nuer in the area to return home and cease their attacks. The Lou Nuer stated that they were acting because the government had failed to stop the violence and that they intended to capture the Murle's county headquarters at Pibor and disarm the tribe. Later hospital figures put the number of injured Murle tribesmen at 88 with Juba hospital's emergency wards at full capacity as a result. More than 20,000 people fled Linkuangol due to the violence.
The Lou Nuer claimed the action was in retaliation for a Murle attack in August which left 700 Nuer dead in Uror county. The August action is thought to have caused the deaths of 861 people with 8,000 houses burnt and 38,000 cattle stolen. The Lou Nuer claim the intention of their December attacks is to find 180 Lou Nuer children they claim were abducted by the Murle in August.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reacted by deploying a battalion of peacekeepers to Pibor where 6,000 armed youths were said to be headed to attack the Murle there. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced deep concern over the hostilities and urged for an end to the violence. The South Sudanese government also deployed a battalion of army personnel to Pibor where they have taken up positions on the outskirts of town to dissuade any attack. The UN said it was hindered by poor infrastructure and that the only means of entering Pibor at present was by air. It had taken a day and a half to transfer just two armoured personnel carriers to the town and a convoy of reinforcements sent by truck was forced to turn back due to poor road conditions. The UN is hindered by having no military aircraft and being forced to rely on civilian helicopters.
Tens of thousands of Murle people have fled Pibor for fear of more violence. More than 1,000 people have been killed in inter-ethnic clashes in the area in the past few months, with most victims being women and children. The violence is seen as one of the biggest challenges to stability in South Sudan. By Friday 30 December, an advance group of 500 Lou Nuer had taken up positions on the outskirts of Pibor.