...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...’s vast al-Jazirah Scheme reported a near-total failure of the cotton and wheat harvests due to the ongoing conflict and control of the area by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The exception lies in the Managil and 24 Qarshi areas, still under army control in western al-Jazirah. Here, harvests proceeded as usual.
Alaa El Din al-Bilawi, a farmer in South al-Jazirah, explained that the cotton harvest failed because ginning factories, crucial for processing cotton, are closed. This leaves the crop vulnerable to damage in the fields.
Cotton and wheat are critical crops for both export and domestic consumption in Sudan. The failure of these harvests is a significant blow to the nation’s economy and food security.
The situation is particularly dire in the south, where 55,000 acres were planted with cotton before the RSF took control of al-Jazirah last December. Since then, the RSF has expanded its influence heavily, reaching the borders of neighbouring Sennar State.