Talodi Now

منظمة حقوق االنسان والتنمية                                                                           
                                                                        Human Rights and Development Organization (HUDO)
                                                                                                                     Talodi Now
The Current Situation in Talodi According to the population census of the year 2008 the official population of Talodi Town and its suburbs is about 68,000 persons, however, the actual number is more than that is due to many factors e. g: political factors (the dispute between the SPLM and the NCP over the increase of the geographical constituencies) and social factors (the locals believe that they lose some of their sons/ daughters if they declare their actual number). Since the beginning of the conflict the government instructed all citizens of Talodi villages to evacuate, therefore, they migrated to Talodi town while few refused to leave and suffered the air bombardment in the areas that fall in the SPLA control areas (Mandi and Angarto). Some who fled to the town are facing the government’s suspicions, detention and physical assassination sometimes; they have not been allowed to create camps (the erected camp was destroyed by the government), most of them stayed with their relatives while other occupied the empty houses. As a result of several SPLA attacks on Talodi (lastly April 2013), those who remained in Talodi migrated again to Kalogi and Abu Jibaiha, while capable ones went further and left South Kordofan State fleeing the critical security situation and the aggressiveness of the security authorities that created a situation to settle personal disagreements. There are three categories of people who fled to other three towns:
· Some have relatives who hosted and took care of them (they go to Talodi to receive their relief tokens and sale it or bring it to their families).
· Some could not make it further but got a chance to send their children to school.
· Others found a job opportunity (gold mining in Al Liri) Current Situation: Population: Talodi’s population is not more 30,000 persons, some returned in different periods (upon the visit of the president Bashir for Friday prayers there were only 50 people in the Mosque- mostly solders. The current people in Talodi are:
§ Government employees forced to stay (threatened to be suspended) few with their families.
§ Organized forces (army, police, security, popular defense force and jihadists)
§ Elders and families which can’t cover the travel expenses.
§ Returnees for not being able to survive in the other towns and got chances to educate their children. § Gamblers who came to the area looking for gold. Security Situations: A five meter depth and three meters width trench has been dug around the town, this process displaced some people who moved to down town. The solders started to mine gold in (Maflua and Jabel Tugula east of Talodi) and cheating the civilians mining gold as well as looting properties from the evacuated villages and sell them in Talodi market before their owners who can’t dare to reject or even talk (this happened in most the towns of the state). Talodi has a significant number of SPLM and other opposition members who were forced by social circumstances to stay, now they are living in extremely bad situations, facing all kinds of violence and abuses. By the end of August 2012 Khamis Ahmed Mahmoud (Bejo) was detained and released after two days due to a discussion in the market about the bad living situation in the town. Talodi has only one exist either through Al Liri- Kalogi- Abu Jibaiha or Al Tugula- Kalogi[1]Abu Jibaiha, in the second one armed robbery incidents were reported (the last incident was on the 23rd July 2012 with three dead and four injured). Regarding food security, food shortage is expected due inability of cultivation as well as lack and nepotism in food distribution. Living Conditions: There is relief distribution from time to time by the county authorities and the Red Crescent Society, which encountered problems like favoring NCP members and relatives as well as selling the relief in the local market by the distributors or store it for themselves and when it is damaged they throw it off. Market prices are increasing badly compared by the constant salaries which decrease sometimes. Here are prices of essential commodities in Sudanese Pounds (6 Pounds = One USD):

Prices keep increasing due to rainy season and bad road conditions (only Tractors are used as means of transport) Situations are expected to be better in a month time, if security situation improved depending on the following: o End of rainy season which make roads accessible o Food distribution by WFP Education: Talodi and its villages has about 14 schools with more than 4,500 pupils enrolled, now since villagers fled to other towns there are only four schools open in town with a capacity of 1,300 pupils. Whoever, the IDPs pupils in the other towns are as follows;
Abu Jibaiha 551 pupil, Al Liri 150 pupil and Kalogi 97 pupil (this figures are according to the statistics of the education Authorities in Talodi County). Administrative Arbitrariness: After the last attack on Talodi by the SPLA, South Kordofan Minister of Urban Planning issued a decree to confiscate all land/ plots owned by SPLM members (those who fled from government controlled areas to SPLA controlled areas); despite the appropriate and legal ownership, the land will be given to NCP members (dead or alive).

Here we bring some cases:
1) Plot NO (80), block (1) third, third level, confiscated from Mister Lal and given to the family of the late Omer Abdul Gadir who died on the first day of the conflict.
2) Plot NO (3), block (1),Hai Ingaz, confiscated from Jafeel Defan Kafi and given Abdalla Mustafa Andaso (battalion sergeant major in the military intelligence service).
3) Plot NO (42), third level, confiscated from Mohammed Kamal Subahi and given to Abdurrahman Amara the brother of Issa Amara (security personnel).
4) Plot NO (47) third level, confiscated from SPLM member and given to the family of the late Alowa Ali Rahil. The authorities also demolished the western side of the main market, the owners who own the market area from 1930s were threatened to evacuate and were deceived that they lost their ownership but they will be compensated smaller plots in the new plan (the authority intended to give the market plots to their supporters) Injustice and violation case are happening every day all over the Nuba Mountains.

HUDO 11thOctober 2012