The document discusses the sedentarization of the Beni Amer tribe in eastern Sudan. Conflict and violence caused them to lose their pastoral lands and cattle, forcing them to settle in cities like Kassala to survive. This transition was difficult as it required adjusting to urban life, education systems, and cash-based economies. While cities provided access to services, living costs are high and many struggle financially. Some consider emigrating to Europe in search of better opportunities, but the journey is dangerous as some get trapped by human traffickers. Overall the document examines the factors forcing this tribe's sedentarization and the challenges of adapting to urban life.

1. SEDENTARIZATION IN
EASTERN SUDAN
–
Cross-border tribe Beni Amer in Kassala
Michaela Göken
EMMIR
University of Oldenburg, Germany
University of Stavanger, Norway
Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan

5. Mohammed
“We are all pastoralists, but our backgrounds are different. There
are some from a rich background, we are from a poor
background.“
When we are in the Damra, our life was nice. Before the conflict.
We had food. We had a big number of cattle. In that area was a
lot of grass. The rain was enough. Everything was ok. After the
conflict happened in the Eastern area we lost everything. We lost
our cattle, even the place where we took our cattle to for grass. It
was all covered by underground bombs - mines. We cannot
take the cattle to that place anymore and we started to decide to
come to the city in order to save our lifes.”

6. Coping strategies
“The problem is that the climatic situation there [Eritrea] is worse than in
Sudan at the moment, so the situation is better towards Ethiopia. The
problem is that there are robbers. For example one of our relatives went with
more than 100 animals and they were confiscated by the robbers.“
“The other problem is once animals are used to some climate and you move
them to another place, the environment will be different. One time when there
was a problem in the East I took them to a place inside Sudan, to Shoak, but
most of the animals died, because of the change in the environment. When
I brought the rest to the East they were fine again. So also the problem of
nomads moving from place to place when the weather differs is a problem. At
that time I almost lost half of the herd.”
“That land was free before and pastoralists were feeding their animals and
cattle freely. The place was good and rich by grass, but the farmers took all
the land and then they decided to farm this land. And if they farm this land,
this means that nobody can bring the cattle to this farm.

7. Sedentarization for Survival
“You can survive as a nomad, if you cannot you come to the
city.“
“From the nomadic side if there is a family who is deciding to
stay in one place, that means that they are bad people. They are
bad people and that this is not good and they would do bad
things.”
“There was the conflicts and there was the flow of weapons. The
rockets burned the houses and the grass and wells and trees. So
the cattle did not have trees and water. Diseases spread. The
second step is that you sell 2-3 of your cattle in order to feed the
others. But it is a process. Then they became less and less.“

8. Opportunity-driven
sedentarization
“It was not a difficult decision, it came natural. The
life was like that at that time and we understood that
we should better settle in Kassala, because it was easy
times then and it would be good to send our children to
school and we would be closer to our other relatives
and other public services.”
“Then my role came into play. So I said to my father
‘thank you very much because of your good
relationship with your friend I had the chance to go to
the school, so now I want to take all my brothers to
the school.”

9. Sedentarization agenda
“The idea behind this is, that we want them to settle down,
because only by down so they can educate their children”
„And the nomads started to settle down because the mobile
schools are no longer of any use to them, So they started to
settle down. Now this is the mandate of the council here.
When they settle down the council should help them in
having this education or health services.“
“The plan of the government is to move the people. To
shift them from full nomadism to semi-nomadism. The
idea is to have the women, the children and the elderly in
one place and educate them. And the man can move with
the cattle.”

10. Nomadic Life
“I am talking about our past life. We are coming from a damra
called [name]. And [name] was like a center for us. A center for our
life in the past.“
“It was simple, but I like it“
“There, you just drink milk”
“In the past there was no education, we were not thinking about
this at all. We were just living”
“One of the grandfathers for example. There was a very strong
snake and he slept on the snake and he did not even realize it. It
bit him three times, but he slept. Finally the snake died, but the
grandfather was fine. The past life was so nice.“

11. “If you are a nomad, nobody is taking care of you at all. No
government. No people. No communities. No one. You will be alone
in this. You cannot find medicine, you cannot give care for your
children and at the same time you cannot study. Let it be education, let
it be food, let it be nutrition.“
“If you are a nomad, nobody is taking care of you at all. No
government. No people. No communities. No one. You will be alone in
this. You cannot find medicine, you cannot give care for your children
and at the same time you cannot study. Let it be education, let it be
food, let it be nutrition.“
“In our past lifestyle, we were together whatever happened. If
someone married, if someone passed away, we participated. We were
involved. In everything we participated together. No one could do
anything on his own.“
“What I mean is that their way of thinking is low”
Nomadic Life

12. Bearer of the white profession
“Here in the group of Beni Amir, we call the one who are taking
care of the cattle the bearer of the white profession. White
profession is attributed very positively. It’s great and big. If you
are a doctor or a teacher or someone like this, they call them the
owner of the black profession. So looking after cattle is the
noblest work for Beni Amir people. If you for example would
like to marry someone’s daughter, it is better to say ‘I am a
pastoralist’. He will respect you. If you will say ‘I am a teacher’,
he will accept it, but he will ask how much money you earn and
have saved in the bank. We love this field. It is something inside
our heart. We grow up with this idea and feeling.”

13. Sedentary Life
“We were living like blind people”
“I have gained a new understanding and new experiences and new norms.
Understandings”
“The movement in the cities is very fast compared to the pastoral life. Here
you have transportation and communication. So the life is faster. Outside there
are not lots of movements.”
“Before it was a very simple life, now it is complicated.”
“The thing is that when we were in the pastoral life, we were just waiting for
the man to bring everything. (…) But now we can go to the market and we
buy it also buy this ourselves.”

14. “This is also one of the challenges and when I say everything is by
money, that means everything - medicine, education, everything.“
“Boys and girls, they are moving together. This is not acceptable.
(...)Yes like they move to the city park, to the city centre to have a juice
together. You can see this in the city, this is not good. This is one of the
things, which make us afraid. Because we have women in our families
and we do not want them to do that.“
“(…) Bad things… if you wear a jeans maybe then you are not a good
girl at. If you walk with boys, you are not a good girl. If you go to the
school, you are not a good girl. You are a bad girl. Like that.”
Sedentary Life

15. Assimilation and
deficit-orientation
“The simple shepherd is illiterate; he should be educated, and
trained.“
“If you look at these people you think of yourself as small.”
“When we came first to Kassala, our nature and our culture were
so different from the people in Kassala, but with time we started
to change ourselves to be like them. And of course their life
was better than our life."

16. (Dis-) Advantages
“I like the health services, because if you have someone sick you
can get health care. And this is one of the good things. At the
same time education, electricity, everything is available. But only
if you have money.”
“The need are high. Our needs. But our income is too small.
This is also one of the challenges.”
“I was a student, but I left school in order to support my
family. Now I work as a mechanic.“

17. “There is one old cousin. He likes to speak and when he speaks
about the Kassala he said, the cow and the women they got
what they wanted when they came to Kassala. And the reason
is as I told you about the cow. When they were in the pastoralist
life we were just giving them grass. But when they came to the
city, we started to feed them on concentrates. And the women,
before when were outside their peoples life was very simple, now
the necessities increased, but it also eased their life.“
(Dis-) Advantages

18. Cross-border tribe
“Yes, it [migration] has influenced our life here. Many relatives for example
three or four or five families, they will come and live with us. They are our
brothers and sisters and we have to help them. They have lost everything on
the other side, but they do not understand our situation here. They will just
ask you to send money or to help the relatives living on the other side. This is
a big problem.”
“In the middle [on their way to Europe] they might be caught by the
traffickers, the human traffickers, and they will force you to pay money in
order to release them.”
“For example this room. It was a shop. I had a shop here and two of my
paternal cousins came from Eritrea and tried to cross Sudan to Europe and
they were caught in Libya. And they asked me to pay money and I sold
everything I had here and I paid for them. They came back here. They are
living in this area. This money was just to release them and I lost everything.“

19. “Now if there is a chance to go to Europe we will go.
We are tired of this life and this conflict. Anywhere we
would like to go. We are tired of this border area. This is
our understanding now. We lost our hope. As you can see
my grey hair is not because I am old, but it was brought
by the conflicts.“
“For example there was one lady living in this are and
she went to Holland. Within a short period of time, she
came back and now she owns many properties here. So
when you see these things they affect you and we cant
avoid that many people say that they cannot live here in
Sudan and that they may leave to look for better
opportunities.”
Migration – Sedentarization
– Emigration?

20. Thank you