By Mustafa Babiker

The central drylands of Sudan have been the home to various forms of mobile pastoralism for centuries. Pastoral mobility is an ecological necessity dictated by the extreme temporal and spatial variability rainfall in these areas. However, pastoral mobility has always been subjected to a variety of restrictions associated with economic, political, demographic and environmental factors. Prolonged droughts, insecurities related to civil wars, and land grabbing for large-scale commercial farming and wildlife conservation, have all affected the ability of pastoralists to move freely in their seasonal search for pasture and water. The paper focuses on the issue of land grabbing in pastoral areas outlining its history, its various forms and purposes, and its impacts on pastoral mobility and livelihood strategies. By references to specific cases of land grabbing in the central drylands, the paper concludes by describing the popular and official responses to the associated threats and opportunities and their implications for the future of pastoralism in the Sudan.