Full of gold.. Fierce battles to control Mount Moya in Sudan

The Mount Moya area in the Sudanese state of Sennar witnessed violent battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, which ended with the latter taking control of it.

The Mount Moya area is located in the western part of Sennar State, about 296 kilometers south of Khartoum.

Fierce battles in Sudan

It is bordered to the west by the White Nile and to the east by the Blue Nile, and is located in the south of the Al-Jazeera Plain.

While this area is distinguished by its strategic location as a meeting point for three major states in central and western Sudan.

It is also located within the mountain range of Sennar State, and is considered a meeting point for important roads towards the White Nile to the west, the Blue Nile to the south, and Al-Jazeera State to the north.

In addition, the Mount Moya area is a meeting point for several states, including the Blue Nile, the White Nile, and Al-Jazeera, and is located west of the city of Sennar and north of the asphalt road that connects it to the city of Rabak. It is characterized by an area of ​​more than 12 square kilometers, and includes a group of large villages.

Control of Jebel Moya

So, the fall of Jebel Moya into the hands of the Rapid Support Forces means that the road to eastern Sudan, reaching the city of Port Sudan, the “temporary capital” and the country’s main port, is open.

This means that the Rapid Support Forces’ forward defenses against the Sudanese Armed Forces will automatically be transferred to Jebel Moya.

In addition, the fall of Jebel Moya could lead to the fall of the states of North Kordofan and White Nile in the future, which would contribute to tightening the siege on them.

Since ancient times, this region, with its rugged mountainous terrain, was a stronghold of the Islamic Kingdom of Sennar (1504-1820).

Even when the soldiers of the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, arrived to invade the Kingdom of Sennar in 1820 AD, which was then under the rule of King Badi VII, the “massive army,” as the Sennar army was known, refused to surrender, just as King Badi VII did, surrendering the capital of his kingdom in exchange for safe passage.

The army took refuge in Mount Moya and resisted the invaders for six years, until they failed to eliminate it despite their superiority in equipment and supplies.

Prospecting for gold

The invading army had no choice but to impose a siege on the Sennar army that had fortified itself in the Moya Mountains, and eventually eliminated them after they were so hungry that they could exchange a jar of gold for a jar of grain.

Prospecting operations began early on by Sir Henry Wellcome, an American Jew, who was the first to prospect in these areas in 1912, but his efforts ended with his illness and death in 1935.

The result of Sir Henry Wellcome's frantic prospecting operations amounted to 88 tons of pure and worked gold.

For prospecting purposes, Wellcome established a railway line inside the mountain, which contains gold mines, caves and archaeological caverns that still exist today.

Locals still gather at the water outlets at the foot of the mountain, when heavy rains fall, where the floods often sweep away gold artifacts and ancient pottery from the interior of the mountain.

The secret of the name of Mount Moya

As for the secret of the name, it goes back to King Moya, one of the kings who ruled those areas in ancient times, and not to the abundance of water springs flowing from the top of the mountain as many believe.

Mount Moya is considered a model for Sudan with its tribal diversity, as its residents work in agriculture, herding and trade.

It is also famous for growing millet and sesame in large quantities, and is considered one of the largest producers in Sudan after Gadarif, Dali and Mazmum.

The region also raises large numbers of livestock, and specializes in raising cows, sheep and goats, in addition to handicrafts used in agriculture such as plows and axes.