1989 El Jebelein massacre

Massacre in Sudan El Jebelein massacre El Jebelein, White Nile State 28–29 December 1989 طريق الجبلين (cropped).jpg Sudan 12 35 07 32 48 26 12 35 07 N 32 48 26 E region:SD inline Shilluk people Mass murder, Revenge killing Guns 200–1,500+ Local Arab militias El Jebelein massacre was a massacre that began on 28 December 1989, and was committed against Shilluk laborers in the city of El Jebelein, Sudan. The massacre was perpetrated by a local Arab militia and left between 200 and 1,500 civilians dead. Background Historically, El Jebelein has been inhabited by Nuer and Shilluk tribes and the Shilluk Kingdom once extended up to El Jeblein.مذبحة الجبلين 28/ديسمبر/1989 https://sudaneseonline.com/board/285/msg/%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%86-28-%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1-1989-1185693024.html 14 March 2026 ar-Ar 28 December 2003 Shilluk labourers had lived in El Jebelein since the 1950s, working on the mechanized farms and pump schemes. Before the massacre, relations between the Christian Shilluks and the local Muslim Tais'ha people had been relatively peaceful, although the region was volatile due to the influx of displaced people coming from Southern Sudan after the Second Sudanese Civil War, which had started six years earlier in 1983.Denying "the honor of living": Sudan, a human rights disaster March 1990 Africa Watch Committee New York, NY 0-929692-53-5 92–94 Massacre On the morning of 28 December a farmer from the Arab Sabaha tribe came to El Jebelein from the nearby village of Umm Korta. He demanded eleven Shilluk labourers assist in the harvest of his sorghum crop.Nearly 200 reported killed in Sudan clash - UPI Archives https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/01/03/Nearly-200-reported-killed-in-Sudan-clash/2297631342800/ UPI 14 March 2026 en The Shilluk men refused the work, stating that they were still celebrating Christmas. An argument ensued between the farmer and the workers. During this argument, the Shilluk workers attacked and killed the farmer. The dead farmer's driver returned to Umm Korta where he reported the incident to his kinsmen. The kinsmen then gathered and descended on El Jebelein in eight trucks, armed with automatic weapons. Meanwhile, the Shilluk involved in the killing had been arrested and detained in a local police station. Around 11:00 am local time, the Arab militiamen surrounded the police station which was filled with Shilluk villagers who had taken refuge from the fighting. Three police officers guarding the station fled when the militia attacked, after which all Shilluk in the station were killed. Shilluk were also killed in the surrounding fields of El Jebelein and in the nearby villages of Idreissa and Musran ceb Jazīrat Musrān. The massacre continued until 29 December, when the Sudanese army and police arrived in El Jebelein and brought the situation under control.Pinaud Clémence Genocides in the Sudans The Cambridge World History of Genocide 4 May 2023 672–699 10.1017/9781108767118.029 14 March 2026 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-world-history-of-genocide/genocides-in-the-sudans/EADCEA2AB6D9C64BC6B4ADCCFC5E427B subscription The death toll is contested. The Sudanese government initially said that around 184 people had been killed in the massacre later raised the number of dead to 214. Western officials in Khartoum claimed that the massacre had killed between 300 and 1,500 people.Perlez Jane Times Special To the New York Hundreds of Villagers Reported Slain in the Sudan https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/07/world/hundreds-of-villagers-reported-slain-in-the-sudan.html The New York Times 14 March 2026 7 January 1990 Eyewitnesses counted more than 500 bodies, including those of 100 children, recovered from the Nile more than a week after the massacre. In addition to Shilluk, some Dinka, Nuer, and Burun people were killed. Aftermath The government denied involvement in the massacre, stating that it had been "tribal fighting." An official inquiry was launched, but its findings were never made public.Human Rights Watch World Report 1990 - Sudan https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/hrw/1991/en/41208 Refworld 14 March 2026 en The motive for the massacre remains unclear. The Sabaha had no history of tribal conflict with the Shilluk, but some accounts alleged that the conflict stemmed from the fears that Shilluk laborers were competing with the Sabaha for scarce jobs, and driving down wage levels. The Sabaha were given arms by the Sadiq al-Mahdi government in 1986, which increased the extent of the bloodshed. References Category:1989 murders in Africa Category:Massacres in 1989 Category:Massacres in Sudan Category:White Nile State