The closure of the border between Sudan and the Central African Republic has prevented hundreds of Sudanese herders, farmers and traders from returning home, according to local sources.
The border has remained closed since fighting erupted earlier this month between Central African government forces and opposition groups along the frontier.
Local sources told Darfur24 that hundreds of Sudanese families living in towns inside the Central African Republic had been stopped from crossing back into Sudan.
They warned that those stranded faced increasingly dangerous conditions, while only a small number had managed to reach Sudan’s Um Dafuq locality in South Darfur.
The restrictions have also affected pastoralists returning from seasonal grazing areas in the Central African Republic, with military patrols reportedly preventing them and their livestock from entering Sudan.
Some herders told Darfur24 that they had eventually managed to cross the border, but said soldiers opened fire on their cattle during the journey. Five animals were killed and 12 others were wounded, according to their accounts.
In June, forces belonging to an opposition coalition in the Central African Republic launched attacks on the Central African side of Um Dafuq and briefly seized control of the town. Government forces, backed by Russian troops, recaptured it the following week.
