Sudan

ADF STAFF

Thousands of members of the Dar Hamar tribe gathered for a rally in support of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Sudan’s West Kordofan region in mid-November.

In one of only a handful of places in West Kordofan still controlled by the Sudanese military, they chanted, “One Army, One People” and “All Strength, Onward to Fula,” according to the Sudan War Monitor.

“The depths of the earth are preferable to the surface if the Rapid Support Forces [RSF] invade our land,” emir Abdulqadir Moniem Mansour, leader of the Arab Hamar tribes, said to the crowd.

There was not a large military presence in An-Nahud before the war, but a mix of service branches and irregular fighters have come together to ward off the RSF, including SAF-aligned tribal fighters, who are referred to as “reserve forces.” While the RSF has attacked villages on several sides of An-Nahud, it had not attacked the city itself as of early December.

Mansour characterized the Dar Hamar, who are primarily herdsmen, as the “safety valve” of Sudan and emphasized that while some tribes were swayed by gifts and donations from RSF leaders, Dar Hamar is committed to national unity and Sudan’s territorial integrity.

The rally was like those staged by the RSF to mobilize fighters from the Misseriya tribe in southern parts of West Kordofan. The second-largest ethnic group in Sudan, the nomadic pastoralist Misseriya are a major constituent of the RSF.

Activist Al-Taqi Musleh rebuked Dar Hamar’s tribal mobilization and accused members of the dissolved National Congress Party of manipulating the tribe to incite conflict between Dar Hamar and the Misseriya, the Sudan War Journal reported. Al-Taqi also warned against believing that a conflict between the two tribes would cause the Misseriya to switch sides and join the SAF. He urged the state’s southern tribes not to counter-mobilize and instead focus on preventing tribal conflict.

Tribalization and ethnicization of the current conflict have been cultivated in particular by the RSF in its recruitment of Hawazma, Kenana and Misseriya in South Kordofan, according to Small Arms Survey. In late 2023 and early 2024, tensions between Dar Hamar and Misseriya tribal leaders intensified after the RSF unveiled plans to consolidate control over the Kordofan region. This prompted a backlash from prominent Misseriya figures who oppose bringing the war to their territories.

“There is a widespread consensus within the tribe against the RSF’s control of Diyar Misseriya areas in West Kordofan state,” an anonymous Misseriya leader told the Sudan Tribune. “The Native Administration has been actively mediating between the two parties to maintain peace and prevent armed clashes.”

The leader acknowledged that despite these efforts, the RSF remains determined to expand its influence. The leader attributed the Misseriya’s resistance to the RSF’s history of violations against civilians and widespread human rights abuses in areas it controls. In mid-November, the RSF asked tribal leaders to rally fighters with an aim to deploy them to hotspots, including Khartoum and El Fasher in North Darfur. This stirred fears that it may deepen tribal hostilities and worsen an ethnic dimension to the conflict.

For the Misseriya, fighting alongside the RSF is framed as a “sacred duty” to preserve their standing and prevent potential reprisals if the SAF wins the war. “We will fight alongside the RSF until the last soldier,” an anonymous Misseriya leader told Dabanga Sudan.

There is a history of violence between Dar Hamar and the Misseriya in West Kordofan and other areas. A border dispute between them erupted in violence in August 2022, when the Misseriya erected a sign in Abu Zabady, saying the town belonged to them. When Dar Hamar tried to remove the sign, the Misseriya shot at them, Dabanga Sudan reported.At least six people died and an unknown number wounded. The fighting continued into the next day, when four more people were killed.

Activist El Manna Mohamed told Radio Dabanga that the situation remained tense for days, although a curfew and deployment of government forces helped calm matters as native administration leaders worked to contain the situation.

“Yet, there are large groups of tribesmen from both sides lingering in the town, in particular in the Sangaa neighbourhood in the north of Abu Zabad,” Mohamed said. “It is still quite a chaos.”

The tribes again fought over two days in West Kordofan in November 2022, when six people were killed, dozens injured, several houses torched and the village of Um Shalakla destroyed.

The post Misseriya, Dar Hamar Tensions Add Ethnic Dimension to Sudan War appeared first on Africa Defense Forum.

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