Kordofan - Sudan Scope
The livestock sector in Sudan is considered the second most important economic sector after agriculture and is a livelihood for a wide segment of the population, particularly in the plains of Al-Butana, Kordofan, and Darfur.
When war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), this sector faced immense challenges, especially in Kordofan and Darfur, most notably in North and West Kordofan. Before the war, pastoralists moved their herds year-round across grazing areas stretching from Um Badr and Hamrat El Sheikh in the north to the Bahr al-Arab and Nuba Mountains in the south. This applied to the breeding herds. As for the trade sector, livestock from Darfur and Kordofan were gathered and moved eastwards for quarantine at holding stations in Al-Khuwai, Al-Rahad, and Bara to be prepared for export. The animals were then loaded onto trucks heading to the port on the Red Sea.
As the war expanded and parts of these regions fell under RSF control while others remained under army control, the livestock sector faced increasingly severe obstacles, pushing it to the brink of collapse. Road closures disrupted livestock exports, while systematic looting, theft, and extortion increased operational costs. Armed individuals known as “Al-Mutawifeen”—locals who emerged in the absence of state and security institutions—began offering paid protection for herds. For example, herds of sheep destined for export gathered from the Ghubeish market would be escorted by these armed escorts to Al-Nuhud in exchange for a pre-agreed fee.
Despite these arrangements, herds were still vulnerable to looting and theft. Along major routes, so-called “checkpoints” manned by tribal armed groups emerged, taking advantage of the security vacuum to impose tolls. In RSF-controlled areas, herds were often detained and denied passage unless large sums were paid. Later, the RSF leadership issued an order banning the movement of agricultural and livestock exports from Kordofan and Darfur into army-controlled territories. This severely impacted traders, who began seeking alternative routes through the north, such as through Al-Dabbah via Al-Mazroub—areas suffering from water scarcity, which drove costs up further. Transport costs also soared due to rising fuel prices, with fuel being sourced from the Triangle area on the Sudan-Libya border, and then shipped to the port or overland to Egypt.
The breeding sector also suffered greatly from the war. Herds became concentrated in smaller areas and faced acute water shortages as wells (“Dawanki”) failed to produce sufficient water due to fuel scarcity. The cost of watering livestock rose dramatically, while markets for selling male sheep—typically sold annually to cover expenses—dried up. Livestock owners typically sell males and replace them with females in an annual cycle of herd renewal. Veterinary medicine also became scarce and, when available, prohibitively expensive.
Direct armed confrontations in grazing areas such as between Al-Khuwai and Al-Nuhud resulted in the deaths of large numbers of livestock due to gunfire and shell explosions. Additionally, the war caused fires that destroyed pasturelands.
Amid these dire conditions, large numbers of livestock are being looted by RSF forces and driven southward into areas like Abu Zabad, Abu Qalb, Qulaysa, and Al-Fulah.
