On June 8th, 2020, a conference was held in Mershing in order to prepare for and resolve pre-existing issues between pastoralists and farmers in the locality.
Land disputes often occur during autumn as the farmers tend to their fields and the pastoralists seek grazing areas for their livestock, bringing the two into conflict over the use of land. To prevent conflict, conferences such as this can be used to air grievances and to designate land for pastoralists away from that used for crops.
Other land disputes occur as displaced persons, often residing in the displacement camps, return to their homes for farming only to find them occupied by other groups. In some cases the new occupants are those that displaced them.
The conference was managed by the State Security Committee, which is led by South Darfur Governor Major General Hashim Khaled Mahmoud. Participants state that unsettled issues were resolved and that the State Security Committee left Mershing the following day.
Mershing locality is located 80k north of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. It is a vast agricultural area, with nomadic routes running from north to south. The area is largely inhabited by the Burgad and the Fur.
