Inside Darfur

The Demolition of Homes in Taiba, Al Jazirah: Are Policies of Ethnic Exclusion Against Western Sudanese Communities Making a Comeback? 4 November 2026 | The New Republic In a development raising serious concerns over the growing prevalence of exclusionary and discriminatory rhetoric in Sudan’s Al Jazirah State, dozens of families in the village of Taiba, north of Wad Madani, face the loss of their homes following demolition operations attributed to the Land Protection Authority. The demolitions have prompted allegations that residents are being targeted because of their geographical origins and their perceived lack of ancestral ties to the area, according to the criteria reportedly invoked to justify the disputed decision. The affected families say they have lived in the village for more than 45 years, having purchased their homes and built them with their own resources. These are not temporary settlements or makeshift shelters established in response to wartime displacement. Rather, they are established communities that have become home to successive generations of citizens who have built their social and economic lives in the area. The gravity of the incident is compounded by allegations that the demolition decision was based on the claim that the residents do not belong to the area. This raises a fundamental question: Who has the authority to determine who belongs in Al Jazirah and who does not? Has geographical origin become a criterion for determining whether a Sudanese citizen is entitled to retain or lose their home? 🟥 Land Regulation or Ethnic Discrimination? In principle, the competent authorities have the power to regulate land use and demolish structures that violate the law. However, such powers do not grant them the right to discriminate among citizens on the basis of tribal affiliation or regional origin. If the houses are in violation of the law, the authorities should provide the relevant land ownership and planning documentation, produce the demolition orders, guarantee affected residents the right to challenge the decisions and seek judicial recourse, and apply the same legal standards to all residents without discrimination. If, however, the criterion for demolition is that the homeowners are not originally from the area, the matter goes far beyond land administration. It amounts to the entrenchment of a dangerous concept of selective citizenship, under which fundamental rights become conditional upon geographical origin and social identity. These allegations become particularly serious if families who have lived in the area for decades and legally acquired their homes are now facing displacement simply because they originate from western Sudan. 🟥 The Kanabi Communities: A History of Settlement and Labour, Not Temporary Displacement The current developments cannot be understood without examining the history of the Kanabi communities in Al Jazirah State. These settlements emerged alongside the expansion of agricultural activity and production schemes. Workers and farmers from Darfur, Kordofan and other parts of Sudan settled in the area, gradually transforming what began as agricultural labour settlements into established communities with families, social institutions and successive generations born and raised in Al Jazirah. Human rights reports indicate that these communities have long been subjected to rhetoric that associates their geographical origins with political or military loyalties, questioning their right to settlement and equal citizenship. In a report published on 21 December 2025, the Kaden Centre for Human Rights and Justice documented hate speech directed against the Kanabi communities during June and July of that year. The report identified calls to dismantle or burn their homes and rhetoric portraying their presence in Al Jazirah as a demographic threat to the region’s local identity.