‘20 displaced wounded in West Darfur militia attack’: Sheikh

More than 20 displaced people are reported to have been injured in Sirba locality in West Darfur after “pro-government militiamen” allegedly raided a camp on Saturday. A sheikh told Radio Dabanga that “a group of pro-government militiamen mounted on horses and camels stormed camp Banjedeed on Saturday afternoon. They whipped and beat the displaced before robbing them of money, mobile phones, luggage, matrasses, and anything else they had of value, leaving them with only the clothes they wore.” The sheikh complained that the attack occurred “in full view of the police”. He concluded that 10 of the 20 wounded “are in a serious condition”, and have been transferred to hospital in Tendelti. El Geneina The municipality of West Darfur state capital El Geneina has reportedly launched an extensive campaign to clear informal traders and street vendors, many of them displaced, from the market of Ramla, near El Geneina hospital. One of the displaced told Radio Dabanga that authorities raided the market on Friday, confiscating goods and destroying the property of the vendors. The witness said that the majority of the vendors are displaced widows an unemployed youths. “This is harassment,” he said, “because the authorities demand vendors have a trading licence. However, the displaced do not have enough money to buy one, and anyway, the entire value of everything on one of their stalls will be less than the cost of the licence.” He explained that “in most cases, the modest stalls that the displaced set up are their only means of earning a small livelihood, a mean to survive”. He appealed to the authorities to intervene and solve the problem. File photo (Albert González Farran/Unamid) Related: Street vendors ‘ousted’ from South Darfur capital (19 August 2013)