Kajbar massacre

The Kajbar massacre (Arabic: مجزرة كجبار) occurred on 13 June 2007 when Sudanese security forces opened fire on a crowd of protesters in Kajbar, Northern State, Sudan. The protesters had gathered to oppose the planned Kajbar Dam, a project that would have submerged large numbers of Nubian villages and displaced local communities in the Mahas region. Four protesters were killed, more than fifteen were wounded, and dozens were detained after the shooting.^[1][2]

Kajbar lies on the Nile at the Third Cataract. The proposed Kajbar Dam is a hydropower and irrigation project. Local communities argued that the project would flood many villages, and forcibly displace residents, roughly 10,000 people.^[3] The Association of Nubians living in northern Sudan warned that the construction of the two dams will wipe out more than 7,000 years of Nubian civilisation.^[4]

Longstanding resistance to the dam led to regular protests by residents and organized committees against the project.^[5] On 13 June 2007 security forces intercepted a march and dispersed it using tear gas and live ammunition. Four people were killed, more than fifteen were wounded, and a number of protesters and journalists were arrested in the aftermath.^[1]

Communities around Kajbar also faced repeated destruction of their date palm groves, which have been central to local livelihood since ancient times.^[6]Throughout the Northern State, a series of large palm plantation fires was recorded over several years. These fires were deliberate and linked to pressure from security bodies involved in promoting the dam projects. Thousands of palm trees were burned across different localities, along with delayed or absent responses from civil defense authorities. Locals interpreted this pattern as an effort to weaken resistance to the dams by damaging agricultural income. Official explanations framed the fires as accidental or caused by environmental conditions, and the absence of independent investigations left the causes disputed in public discussion.^[7]

Following the June 2007 shooting, security services carried out arrests of activists and organizers connected with the anti dam campaign. International and regional organizations documented arrests and short term detentions, and they urged Sudanese authorities to investigate the use of force and to respect freedom of expression and assembly. advocacy groups produced submissions and urgent appeals calling for accountability and the release of detainees. However, there's limited evidence of prosecutions of security personnel in relation to the 2007 events.^[8]

The 2007 shooting remains a reference point for Nubian activists opposing large dam projects in northern Sudan. In the aftermath of the massacre, a group called the Kush Liberation Movement (KLM) emerged.^[9] Memorials, songs, and annual commemorations for those killed have been organized by the High Committee for the Commemoration of the Martyrs of Kajbar.^[10] In April 2021, the Sudanese transitional government announced the cancellation of the Kajbar and Dal dam projects, a decision that opponents hailed as a vindication of years of resistance.^[11]