Abductee from Saraf Omra released in West Darfur

Bahreldin Jabir Saeed was released in West Darfur on Thursday, after being abducted 40 days ago.

Saeed was abducted, reportedly by members of the Border Guards, from Saraf Omra in western North Darfur on 20 June. Four days later café owner Zakariya Mousa Osman was kidnapped from the same town by the same group of militiamen.

Saeed was found weakened and sick in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur. He has been taken to the hospital for medical tests, one of his relatives informed Radio Dabanga.

Saeed told his family that he was held, in shackles, together with Osman. They were fed bad meals.

He said that Osman was still being held in captivity, and that the reasons for the abductions remain unclear.

‘Haven for criminals’

Saraf Omra is one of the strongholds of the Mahameed clan, led by the notorious former janjaweed leader Mousa Hilal. There are no military, security, and almost no police forces in the area. Militia leaders are free to do what they want. 

In February this year, during a visit of Second Vice-President Hasabo Abdelrahman to Saraf Omra, residents of the locality submitted a memorandum to him in which they demanded the restoration of the rule of law.

They told the vice-president that “the locality‘s lack of security has made it a haven for criminals from all over the five states of Darfur”.

Abdelrahman stressed the need to arrest the criminals and outlaws in the restless western region and to socially isolate them through a joint civil accord.

In another visit to Darfur last week, he announced plans of the government to disarm all Darfuris illegally carrying weapons before the end of this year.

Ambush

A group of gunmen riding a Land Cruiser ambushed a lorry carrying traders and their electric appliances and generators on the El Malha-El Fasher road in North Darfur on Thursday.

One of the victims reported that the attackers robbed them of their belongings, and fled.

A trader working with Libyan vehicles in El Malha locality told Radio Dabanga earlier this week that the El Malha-El Fasher road “has become really dangerous as the area has become the largest market for vehicles smuggled from Libya”.

“Hundreds of traders from all over Sudan come here to buy the unlicensed vehicles, known locally as Boko Haram cars, as the vehicles are also coming from Chad and countries further to the west.”

The governments of North, Central, and South Darfur have all repeatedly announced measures against unregistered vehicles last year and early this year.