Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Wednesday, 13 August 2025
fao.org
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – The war in Sudan, which broke out in 2023, has led to one of the largest humanitarian crises of our time. The conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the regular army has impacted all aspects of life in the country.Pastoralism and agriculture are among the economic sectors most affected by the conflict, which has exacerbated problems and difficulties that already existed before the war.Pastoralism shapes the economy of the entire Sahel region, from east to west, as a method of livestock farming also linked to the identities of local cultures. It is normal for pastoralists to cross various borders to move their herds from one country to another.In the case of Sudan, pastoralism has suffered more as a result of the war, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions in the west of the country.Those pastoralists who were able to do so found refuge in other countries, such as the Central African Republic, thanks in part to the Transboundary Pastoralism Agreements signed with the African Union to regulate this phenomenon among the region’s states. These agreements are part of a series of guidelines published by the African Union in 2022 that provide for cooperation between states across the continent in the field of pastoralism.For those who left Sudan, the situation in other countries has brought immediate benefits. The problem persisted for those who remained in the conflict-affected areas, especially for women. The decline in pastoralism has led to a deterioration in food security, which has also affected them in the form of domestic violence, forced marriage, and child marriage, reports the local newspaper Dabanga.Regarding agriculture, the effects of the war were particularly felt in the agricultural center of Managil in El Gezira State, south of the capital Khartoum.In the Sudanese state, farmers complain that the sharp decline in production in their fields is due to the Rapid Support Force’s occupation of the area. The problem lies in the conversion of crops and the decline in productivity. As local farmers confirmed to the online newspaper Dabanga, since the RSF captured the state capital, Wad Madani, at the end of 2023, deliveries of seeds and fertilizers, which they received as payment for their harvests, have stopped. The situation has been exacerbated by irregular rainfall, floods, and high water, which destroy crops and fields.Hussein Saad, representative of the Gezira and Managil Farmers’ Association, emphasizes that working conditions were better before the 2023 conflict, not only in terms of seed supply but also in terms of agricultural production costs. For those wanting to buy fertilizer, prices have increased sixfold, while the cost of plowing has tripled. The most obvious consequence is the reduction in the area farmers can use for their annual sowing.While stressing that many problems had already arisen in the period immediately before the war, particularly with regard to water management, Saad points out that in the areas under their control, the RSF not only reduced supplies but also imposed new costs on farmers. In particular, they imposed a 60,000 Egyptian pound harvest tax and, in some cases, imposed a 1.75 million pound fine on those who failed to pay. (CG) (Agenzia Fides, 13/8/2025)
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