Location: Mbororo camp south of Maahi’s and Harun’s place
This Mbororo camp is quite close to the tarmac road, just to the east of it.
A young man tells me that they spent the seef (dry season) between Jikaw and Nasir. They had many problems with Nuer and SPLA, who simply took cattle. Presumably on an earlier occasion, he has gone as far as Abobo.
We move on to another camp (farig) west of the road and the defunct railway line, which now is used for nomadic migrations, since it is straight and clear of vegetation and allows herds and pack animals to move more quickly. Harun Ibrahim Barka, who has accompanied us from Wad an-Nail, originally planned to visit someone further west, but we would not have gotten there before sunset.
The members of this camp were also in Ad-Dariyel during the dry season. The old man who appears to head this hamlet, Sheikh Muhammad Saaleh Muhammad Abu-Bakr, tells us about problems they had with Nuer in the south. They do not accept any law. The Mbororo would go to the qaadi (Islamic judge, and by extension Islamic court), but whatever verdict is passed has no effect on them. They continue to take cattle by violent means.
He tells ʿAwad that some Nuer are good. They bring veterinary drugs from Kenya and sell them to the Mbororo for a lower price than have here.
Later Ali ʿUmar Saaleh from the same group tells us that there is an organisation which brings human and veterinary medicinal drugs and food from Kenya into the Southern Sudan (Lifeline Sudan?). The Nuer do not want to share these services with the Fellata. He himself has been prevented by Nuer from getting in touch with this organisation.
If the Nuer sell drugs to the Fellata, the prices are about half of what they are here. The Nuer themselves get the drugs for free.
A young man shows us his membership card in a militia. It is called Katiibat al-haqq al-muʿminiin – "Militia for the right of the Believers". The card is sealed in plastic. This militia consists entirely of Mbororo. Its leader, named Baabikir Barka, lives in Agade.
The Woyla have their own militia, whose leader was Saaleh Bank.
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