Interview with Mannal Idam

By Nanne op ‘t Ende
Kadugli
March 11, 2006

Mannal is a young woman from the Ajang Mountains. When I met her she was busy organizing the All Ajang Conference held in her home village, but we never got round to talking about it. I was still getting used to my role as interviewer and she seemed kind of shy, so all we had was a very brief interview in which she expressed her feelings about the present situation. Somehow it left me with the idea that she might have had much more to say.

Mannal Idam, at the All Ajang Conference

My name is Mannal Idam, I come from Mendel. My tribe is the Ajang.

During the war the situation in the Nuba Mountains was very bad. You couldn’t go out alone because it was too dangerous. Many people left to Khartoum, only to become homeless there. Since the peace was signed, the people start to return to the villages.

The problem now is that the people of the [NCP] Government don’t want to cooperate with anyone: they want the state only for them. But what about the CPA? No one forces the Government to follow the Agreement.

All eyes now go to Darfur. And really, the situation there is very bad. I have lived here during the war, I know what it is like and I feel very sorry for the people of Darfur.

We should have brought the people from the Government to [the international tribunal in] The Hague. They are responsible for the killing and raping here. Instead they are still in power, and they do the same thing Darfur.

And we know why: they want to kill us! Our mountains have many things that they want, but they can’t take them when I am here. So they want me out. I am so angry with them!

Interviewed in Kadugli on March 11, 2006.

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