SUMMARY

The Misseriya is an Arab ethnic group located in Chad and the Kordofan region of Sudan. They speak the Tama language and both originate from and are mostly concentrated, in Chad. They are pastoralists and their main livelihood consists of herding camels or cattle. A section of the Misseriya go with their cattle in search of water and grazing southwards in the Abyei area annually. The do not have their own Dar (homeland) but have been given land in the Dar of the Birgid, one of the largest non-Arab groups in South Darfur. A paramount tribal chief, known as a Nazir, by the name of al-Tijani Abd al-Qadir, leads the Misseriya.

The Misseriya is divided by the Humr and Ajaira sub-divisions; within these, there exist a variety of sub-categories and clans such as the Awlad Serur and Awlad Metanin. When communal conflicts arise, different intra-communal groups within the Misseriya sometimes support each other depending on various determinants such as shared descent, intermarriage or shared territory.

During the 1980s, the Misseriya were armed by the Government of Sudan's Military Intelligence to aid in the conflict against the SPLM/A rebels (see for more info Government of Sudan – SPLM/A). There, they were encouraged by the government to devastate communities with suspected ties to the SPLM/A. Known as the Murahaliin, meaning the Roamers, they were not paid by the government but were instead permitted to keep anything they looted such as cattle, household items, and even women and children. In 2005, when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended the conflict, the Misseriya were neither disarmed nor assisted in reintegrating into civilian life. Few were even compensated for their service in southern Sudan (now modern-day South Sudan). Being mostly illiterate and unemployed, this led many to resort to banditry, including occupying land owned by other groups by force of arms (see Misseriya – Ngok Dinka for more information).