Neglected eastern Sudan tribes in ‘quest for justice’
PORT SUDAN: Under the harsh rule of ex-president Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan’s eastern tribes felt abandoned and neglected, even taking up arms against him. But two years after his ouster, they remain marginalized and economically deprived. For millennia, the tribes living between the borders with Egypt and Eritrea have enjoyed a unique culture, with traditional dress, houses and food.
Sudan’s eastern communities largely belong to the ethnic Beja people who inhabit rocky terrains in the states of Gedaref and Kassala. They have followed a nomadic life as cattle herders and farmers, wandering the lands between the banks of the Nile to the west and the Red Sea coast on the east. “The Beja have always been averse to urban life,” said Moussa Saeed, a sociology professor at Red Sea University. Today around 90 percent still lead a rural existence living in simple huts covered with jute “despite its harshness”, he added.
For more than a decade under Bashir, the eastern communities were part of the armed struggle against his government protesting against economic neglect, marginalization and disenfranchisement. In late 2018, they joined nationwide demonstrations against Bashir’s rule that eventually led to his ouster in April 2019. But in recent weeks, they have been among protesters blockading the country’s main seaport in Port Sudan and a key route leading to Khartoum, severely straining the already struggling economy.
Like others across Sudan, the Beja supported the transition government installed in August 2019 until the administration led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a peace deal with rebel groups more than a year later. Exposing the rivalries among the Beja tribes, some have opposed that October 2020 deal, which includes a section relating to east Sudan. It was signed by parties dominated by the Beni Amer tribe, but excluded other groups such as the Al-Hadendoa.
One protest leader, Sayed Abouamnah, said the blockade would continue “until the government heeds our demands... nullifying the parts of the Juba peace agreement on the east which was signed with people who do not represent east Sudan.” Though the region is known for its fertile fields, is rich in gold mines and is a key maritime trade hub, it is also the most impoverished part of Sudan, ranked by the United Nations as among the poorest countries in the world.
Ancient languages
Another protester said that despite a visit by a government delegation earlier this year their demands had gone nowhere. “We handed them our demands, which include nullifying the parts of the deal on the east. It has been four months and the government did not take any steps though they promised to get back to us a week after their visit,” said protest leader Abdallah Abouchar.
The Beja make up roughly around 10 percent of Sudan’s 45 million people, according to the latest official figures published in 2008. They are split into various tribes that primarily speak two different dialects, Bedawit and Tigre. Bedawit-spoken by the AlHadendoa, Al-Bosharyeen, Al-Amr’ar, Al-Arteega and Al-Ashraf tribes-is believed to have links to the Meroitic language which thrived during the ancient Kingdom of Kush around 4,000 years ago.—AFP