Rhino: Agencies – The security situation in the city of Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan state, has exploded as a direct result of the livelihood crisis that is suffocating the city due to the blockade and the army’s monopolization of maize, the main staple food of the population.

“Two weeks ago, influential members of the Sudanese army were active in buying corn from Kadugli markets and transferring it to private warehouses for the purpose of monopolizing it, which led to the market drying up completely two days ago,” the Droop website quoted an informed source as saying.

The source said that the South Kordofan state government had promised to distribute food baskets received from an international organization, but the army intervened and prevented their distribution, referring the aid to its base.

As a result, the city of Kadugli witnessed severe tensions on Tuesday and widespread looting in the city’s main market, amid the readiness of an armed militia to clash with the army after breaking stores and inciting citizens to loot.

The website quoted eyewitnesses from Kadugli as saying that the city has been suffering from a lack of maize for two days, which caused a general state of anger that even affected some army soldiers.

“At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, an armed man wearing an army uniform broke into a warehouse attached to the Kadugli market and forcibly took maize, firing shots in the air as he was leaving,” the witnesses said.

After this incident, soldiers belonging to two militia commanders, Kafi Tayari and Abdelhamid Tewa, fired live bullets at the stores and shops, smashed their locks, and asked citizens to take their food needs from them, and the market was looted, including food, clothing and electronics stores, according to witnesses.

The website quoted a local source as saying that an army force reached the outskirts of the market, and when it saw the situation, it returned to its base, and decided not to engage in military confrontations due to the large number of citizens in the place.

He noted that the army returned to the market at 3:00 p.m., at which time the forces of Kafi Tayara and Abdel Hamid Tewa withdrew, and the citizens dispersed, and the army deployed its soldiers in and around the market, closing it completely.

The source indicated that there were injuries among citizens as a result of the stampede during the looting of shops in Kadugli market.

The city had witnessed a campaign of arrests launched by the army intelligence against citizens and youths angry at the deteriorating living conditions in Kadugli city, but they were released after great community pressure.