Messiria people

traveling on ox-back. The term dar means 'land'. The word al or el or el corresponds to the definite article 'the' in English. The term Dar el Misseriya means 'land of the Messiria'. According to Ian Cunnison (1966), the Arab nomads of the Sudan and Chad are of two kinds, 'camelmen' (Abbala) and 'cattlemen' (Baggara). the two divisions have become so distinct that the Humr have ceased to rate themselves Messiria. However, in Sudan today, still they are called Messiria Humr and Messiria Zurug and still they acknowledge their common history and ancestry. The Messiria Humr pastoralists migrate across the four regions of their homeland (Dar el Humr): Babanousa, Muglad, Goz, and Bahr el Arab. • Messiria Zurug – According to MacMichael (1967), the Zurug have the following divisions: A – Awlád Um Sálim B – El Ghazáya C – El Diráwi D – El Enenát E – ''Awlá Abu Na'amán'' F – El Zurug G – Awlád Haybán Still there tribal divisions with each tribes. • Messiria Humr – According to Ian Cunnison (1966), the Humr are divided into: A —'Ajaira: 1. Fayyarin 2. Awlád Kamil 3. Mezaghna 4. Fadliya 5. Menama 6. 'Addal B – Felaita: 1. Metanin 2. Ziyud 3. Awlád Serur 4. Jubarat 5. Salamat Darfur The area known as Nitega (نتيقة) is the main distribution base of the Messiria in Darfur, among the landmarks in the area is Mount Karou (جبل كرو). ==Conflict involvement==

Background The Messiria mostly live around Kordofan and migrate south into the Dinka territory. They are marginally represented in Darfur and there they live a semi-sedentary life. The Messiria was once a larger group, but fragmented into smaller groups over time. The location of Messiria in the Kordofan is at the border zone between Sudan and South Sudan, specially the southern Fringes of their nomadic zone. The Abyei area is claimed by Messiria as well as by Ngok Dinka, to be theirs. While the Messiria are Baggara Arabs, Sunni Muslims and identified as 'northerners', on the other hand, Ngok Dinka are 'southerners' and identified as Black Africans either Christians or animists. Henderson, MacMichael, and Ian Cunnison all attest the presence of Messiria in the eighteenth century. Similar history is also available for the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms on the same area. Being both nomads, the Messiria and Dinka coexisted for long time and shared the grazing resources. Those Messiria who have most contact with Ngok Dinka are the Messiria Humr. The Messiria Zurug share most of their land with the Nuba tribes, along the western sides of the national highway connecting Deling to Kadugli; the capital city of South Kordofan and extending to Talodi. On the eastern side of this national highway found the Hawazma tribes sharing the land also with the Nuba tribes. The Nuba are indigenous people, inhabiting the area known as Nuba Mountains of Southern Kordofan and mostly Sunni Muslims, with a bit of Christians and animists. Both Nuba and Dinka are sided with Southern Rebels (SPLA/SPLM) during the civil war, while Messiria and Hawazma sided with Sudanese government. Grazing disputes During the dry season the Misseriya migrate to the Kiir River in Abyei. They call the region the Bahr el Arab. Both branches of Messiria, the Humr and the Zurug, are involved in historical grazing disputes and isolated fights along their southern borders, either with Dinka, Nuer, or Nuba over grazing and water resources. The traditional fighting was intensified during the first southern guerrilla's fighting, called Anyanya, Civil war The Messiria are the first northern tribes and the first Baggara tribes to suffer from the 'southern war'. The Sudanese government gave the Messiria Arab militia machine guns and ordered them to drive the Nilotic peoples from the Western Upper Nile oil region. They successfully took the Luk Nuer in Bentiu and eastern Jikany Nuer in 1984. ==See also==