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The Devastating Impact of Proposed Dams in Nubia

Dr. Arif Gamal, Professor at Berkeley University in California, nostalgic as he is, writes about his childhood reminiscences of Nubia before and after the inundation of Wadi Halfa (the major Nubian city) in mid sixties of last century and what awaits Nubians, their heritage, and culture after damming Nubia. For more information about the devastating impact of proposed dams in Nubia, please read the full  Article
 
 

Kajbar Facts Sheet
 
 
  1. During the Month of January 2007, the locals observed a helicopter flying over and landing in Sabu for three (3) consecutive days. Sabu is a Nubian Village on the Eastern Bank of the Nile across the river from Kajbar. The passengers onboard the helicopter were Chinese and Sudanese. Upon landing in Sabu, they crossed the river by traditional boats. When the locals questioned them about these suspicious activities, they claimed that their intention is to build a hotel in the area.
  2. On January 27, 2007 a team of Chinese and Sudanese arrived to Sabu by cars. They were accompanied by a person from the area, a Nubian named Azhari Suleiman, who works in Kuwait. They started to rent houses at very high prices ranging from 500,000 to 600,000 Sudanese Pounds compared to known rental figures of 30,000 - 40,000 Pounds. The number of non-natives started to increase and estimated to be 40 Chinese and 100 other Sudanese.
  3. Based on these observations, the locals formed a committee in which nine (9) villages in the immediate area are represented by four (4) members from each village. These nine villages are Jedi, Sabu, Kajbar, Farreg, Mashakaila, Deffoi North, Deffoi South, Fad East, and Tori.
  4. In February, 2007 the committee met with the Governor of the Northern State in Kajbar and discussed the matter with him. The governor claimed that he is not aware of what is happening in Kajbar area. Further, the committee drafted a letter to the Governor of the Northern State and the Mayor of Wadi Halfa area seeking explanation of these unusual suspicious activities. No reply yet.
  5. Since the beginning of March 2007, construction machineries were deployed to the area. The locals counted a total of 17 flat bed vehicles loaded with containers and five trucks loaded with sand and gravel. These machineries are still in the area about one kilometer from Sabu.
  6. On March 22, 2007, the committee met with the chief engineer heading the construction team to seek facts about the team's activities. The chief engineer informed the committee that his team is only doing feasibility studies in the area that will continue until April 17, 2007. He further signed an agreement with the committee that his team will not undertake any construction activities.
  7. Later in the day, the chief engineer contacted the chair of the committee, Izzaddin Idris, and informed him that he is going to dig a total of twenty one (21) wells on the two sides of the river. He further put this in writing and handed the document to the committee.
  8. The next day, the chief engineer and his team brought heavy machineries through the farms of the locals and damaged their crops. The damaged farms belong to Abdelrazig Ibrahim, Mohamed Ahmed, Dawood sheikh Idris, Khalifa Abdelgadir Sheikh Idris, and Walid Baibkr Idris.
  9. In the evening of March 23, 2007 the committee met and drafted a strong letter to the chief engineer (handed to him in the same day) to immediately stop the activities and withdraw the machineries out of the farms.
  10. The chief engineer stopped the activities, but the machineries are still in the area. Further, more machineries, containers and unknown loads kept coming to the area. All these activities take place late at night.
  11. On March 27, 2007, the engineering team started to dig a well about 50 meters to the south of Kajbar Mountain and sent a letter to the committee after the fact. The committee requested complete suspension of this activity. The request was ignored and the well was dug. Later it was filled with water.
  12. Later a surveyor who works for the construction company (Chinese company) came to the area and changed the site of the well to 100 meters south of Kajbar Mountain.
  13. The committee and the locals noted that the parcels and containers were tagged with following: Manifesto number 001454, Construction of Kajbar Dam
  14. The name and contact information of the Sudanese company, the partner to the Chinese company is as follows:
    Alakdabi Company
    Khartoum North
    Telephone: 332886, 332887, 332889
  15. On Tuesday, April 10, 2007, Mohamed Sadig Alkarouri of the Dam Administration visited the village of Farreg. He was faced by a massive demonstration estimated to be 10,000 to 20,000 people, as the Nubians were mobilized from all the villages and towns in the immediate area. He promised the angry crowd that the dam shall not be constructed since the Nubians reject it. The committee and the angry crowd gave him 72 hours to pull the machineries out of the area and relocated the Chinese and the non-native personnel to where they came from. Karouri promised to do so, but as usual it was an empty promise that was not fulfilled.
  16. On Sunday, April 15, 2007, another demonstration took place to express frustration that the promise was not fulfilled. Immediately, the government of Sudan dropped the telephone services from the area (home phones and mobiles) to isolate the area from the rest of the world and cut lines of communications with Nubian Activists in the Diaspora.
  17. The government of Sudan sent the Riot Police, Army units and two helicopters to the area.
  18. On April 17, 2007 a third demonstration took place in response to the huge presence of police and army to confirm to the government that they are not afraid and willing to die.
  19. More police troops were sent to the area, particularly to the construction site and to the houses where the Chinese/non-natives live fearing confrontation.
  20. On April 24, 2007 a massive demonstration took place in Sabu. While the demonstrators are heading towards the site of the proposed dam, the police forces shot tear gas at them and then shot them with live ammunition and used batons to beat the unarmed civilians. Four people were injured, two of them were seriously injured by bullets. The injured people were taken to local hospitals for first aid and then to Dongola hospital for further treatment. The demonstrators took 37 of the police forces as hostages and were released later at about 9:00 PM after mediation by the SPLM representative in Dongola.
  21. On Saturday, June 10, 2007 the local committee organized an event in Dongola to affirm the unconditional opposition of the Nubians to Kajbar Dam and to expose the government's scheme of deception.
  22. On Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Thousands of Nubians gathered from surrounding villages and towns were heading towards the dam site to protest. The government forces shot tear gases at them first, and then live ammunition killing four people immediately and injuring over 20 people, some of them were serious injured (fatal injuries). Later, three of the seriously injured people died in the hospital raising the toll of death to 7. Many people are missing including women and children and the government forces denied the locals to search for them or provide aid to the injured. Witnesses confirmed that some people, including women and children, dumped them selves in the Nile to escape the intense tear gas.
  23. After the massacre, more troops are deployed to the area indicating the aggressiveness of the regime towards the Nubians.
  24. Nubian women suffered sexual harassment from the troops (verbally and by touching them in private parts).
  25. Nubian men are suffering all kinds of humiliation from the troops including taking their water pumps and throwing them in the Nile. Three farmers lost their water pumps.
  26. Nubian leaders were arrested in Nubia and Khartoum
  27. Mid July 2007, the Chinese personnel left Kajbar area and were spotted in Nubian villages and towns such as Tombos and Kerma.
  28. Mid July 2007, French personnel came to Kajbar area under heavy protection by Sudanese Army troops to conduct ground surveying and surveying on the Nile using boats.
  29. On July 20th, 2007, government security forces surrounded the house of the Nubian leader Osman Ibrahim very early in the morning. At about 2:00 AM, a group of security forces personnel jumped over the leader's house wall and broke into his bedroom to arrest him and force him out of his home. His where about is still unknown.
  30. August Engineer Abdelaziz Khairy was released.
  31. On August 13, 2007, the government security forces surrounded the Mahas Club (Nubian Club) in Khartoum to spoil the memorial event planned by the Nubians to honour the victims of June 13th , 2007 massacre. The security forces clashed with Nubians and the riot police was call in to control the situation. A Nubian leader, Abdelfattah Zeidan, was arrested and released few hours later.
  32. On August 19, 2007, all the Nubians, activists, and journalists arrested in relation to Kajbar Massacre were released except Dr. Mohamed Jalal Hashim who still remains in detention.
  33. On August 24, 2007, Dr. Mohamed Jalal Hashim was released from detention.
  34. On August 26, 2007, Attorney Abdelhakim Abdelrahman Nasr was arrested.
  35. On August 28, 2007, police forces used two Land Cruiser Vehicles to terrorize the Nubians in their villages and towns from Abu Fatma to Ertegasha and deprived them from getting together to spend good time with each other.
  36. On August 29, 2007, At about 1:00 AM, Police broke into the home of Activist Mamoun Ali Abdelaziz by force. In response to the screeming of Mamoun's terrorized family, his brother Abdelrazag who lives nearby harried to Mamoun's home. The police forces accused Abdelrazag of harboring his brother Mamoun and immediately arrested him. Later, Mamoun reported to the police office thinking that his brother will be released.
  37. More Nubian Activists were arrested in different parts of Nubia.
       
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Victims of Kajbar Massacre
  • Name:  Mohamed Fagir Sid Ahmed
  • Age:  20 years
  • Profession:  Student
  • Village:  Farraig Elmahas
 
  • Name:  Abdelmuiz Mohamed Abdelrahim
  • Age:  22 years
  • Profession:  Driver
  • Village:  Nowri Elmahas
 
  • Name:  Sheikhaddin Haj Ahmed Abdalla
  • Age:  25 years
  • Profession:  Farmer
  • Village:  Nowri Elmahas
 
  • Name:   Sadig Salim
  • Age:  40 years
  • Profession:  Farmer
  • Village:  Farraig Elmahas
 
 

Nubians in Detention
  • Mr. Essam Mohmed Fagier
  • Mr. Amjad Ali Bakhet
  • Mr. Mohamed Nasr Abdoon
  • Mr. Alkhateeb Mohamed Salem
  • Mr. Naief Mohmed Hamed
  • Mr. Nazmi Mohmed Hamed
  • Mr. Abdelhakeem Abdelrahman Nasr
  • Mr. Faroog Nouri
  • Mr. Maysara Izeldeen Mohmed Mansor
  • Mr. Rami Hassan Farah
  • Mr. Hisham Abaas
  • Mr. Mamoun Ali Abdelaziz
  • Mr. Abdelrazag Ali Abdelaziz
  • Mr. Dawood Solyman Ali
 

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