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In a corner of Sudan, it’s almost possible to forget the ongoing, devastating civil conflict.
In the Jebel Marra mountains, women adorned in vibrant colors and plastic sandals embark on their daily journeys with donkeys and children, heading to tend their fields.
Benefiting from a Mediterranean-like climate and fertile soil, they cultivate peanuts, oranges, apples, and strawberries – uncommon crops for a nation grappling with one of the world’s most severe hunger crises. Before the conflict, Jebel Marra’s organic oranges were particularly renowned throughout Sudan for their exceptional juiciness.
This mountainous region in western Darfur is characterized by its verdant peaks, especially pronounced during the rainy season.
The remainder of Sudan faces a precarious situation.
Across the country, the consequences of two and a half years of conflict, which has severely impacted agriculture, have left nearly 25 million people – half the population – facing acute food shortages. The United Nations estimates that over 600,000 are experiencing famine conditions.
However, in the abundant highlands of Jebel Marra, the challenge lies not in producing food, but in its distribution.
“We almost sell them for free and sometimes get rid of them on the way [to market], because they get rotten,” says Hafiz Ali, an orange vendor in Golo town, situated in the heart of the mountains in Central Darfur state.
Insecurity and the dilapidated road infrastructure render transportation exceedingly difficult.
Jebel Marra remains the last territory under the control of the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdulwahid (SLA-AW), a group that has remained neutral in the current conflict. It has never signed a peace agreement with Khartoum authorities since the Darfur conflict began in 2003.
For over two decades, the SLA-AW has controlled what locals refer to as “liberated areas.”
Now, surrounded by conflict on all sides, the region finds itself increasingly isolated.
To the west and north, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias have imposed blockades on major roadways. To the south, Sudanese army bombardments target RSF positions almost weekly, resulting in civilian casualties.
The RSF also maintains control over areas to the east.
Consequently, the region exists as a closed environment, preventing farmers and intermediaries from accessing national markets in cities such as el-Fasher, 130km (82 miles) away, or Tine, on the Chadian border, 275km (170 miles) away.
Alternative routes exist, but none offer the same national reach, and all involve perilous journeys.
Tawila, situated on the periphery of SLA-AW territory, has emerged as a makeshift market. Located on the road to el-Fasher, which is under RSF siege, it has become a refuge for tens of thousands who have managed to escape the city.
Due to the challenges in transporting produce further, the market faces an oversupply, leading to a decline in prices.
Some individuals seek to acquire supplies for smuggling into el-Fasher – a hazardous and life-threatening endeavor.
Delivering goods has consistently been a challenge, and food often spoils during transit.
“To travel about 12km, it takes you a whole day of driving in the mountains and the mud,” says Yousif, a fruit vendor in Tawila. But now, he says, the insecurity makes things even worse.
In Central Darfur, a recent truce between leaders from the Fur ethnic group – dominant in the region – and Arab nomads has facilitated limited trade in certain areas.
Markets have reopened in the SLA-AW-controlled town of Nertiti, where Arab women sell sour milk and Fur farmers offer fruits and vegetables. However, the arrangement remains fragile.
“The market only opens once a week. Travel is still dangerous,” says a trader from Nertiti.
“Armed robberies still happen on the roads, even after the agreement.”
Fruits and crops can also be sold in the market in RSF-controlled Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur state. However, Arab militias allied with the RSF are frequently accused of harassing or attacking civilians in the area, although the groups deny any wrongdoing.
Each Thursday, market day, the number of checkpoints between Nertiti and Zalingei increases, sometimes exceeding two dozen. Increased road traffic on market days encourages more people to travel.
These checkpoints, manned by RSF fighters or Arab militia, are often overseen by a single armed individual in plainclothes who demands a fee. Drivers then attempt to negotiate as passengers observe silently.
Returning to the Jebel Marra region, SLA-AW checkpoints guard every road into the mountains, and armed men also demand money.
Bags are searched with contraband, even including skin-bleaching creams, widely used elsewhere in Sudan, are confiscated.
Despite the relative peace within the SLA-AW-controlled area, clear signs of the conflict elsewhere in the country are evident.
Lorries transporting people fleeing the fighting, particularly around el-Fasher, are a daily sight.
Many seek shelter in schools, clinics, and other public spaces, often receiving limited to no humanitarian assistance as aid agencies struggle to navigate the numerous checkpoints.
In Golo, the de facto capital of SLA-AW territory, a woman who escaped from el-Fasher described the desperate conditions. She is now sheltering in a classroom with 25 other newly arrived families.
“We have no income. No jobs to do, I used to work as a nurse and I can farm, but the land here belongs to people who work only for themselves. We don’t know what to do,” the woman said.
As she spoke, sick and elderly individuals lay on the ground, and children cried from hunger. Some relief will be available as the food that could not be transported out of Golo will be distributed.
This is the Jebel Marra region, a paradoxical world surrounded by war. A world of green mountains and waterfalls. A world of bright, juicy fruit. A world of frightened evacuees.
One fruit trader expressed disillusionment with both warring factions.
“We’re not part of the war – we just want to sell our oranges.”
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