Abu Tira militia involved in ‘massacre’ in Darfur’s far south

A story of a fresh massacre has come out from a remote area in the far south of Darfur. Members of the government’s Central Reserve Force involved in a spate of tribal fighting in the area are accused by a tribal leader of attacking a group of Habbaniya tribesman, killing 23. The Habbaniya are an Arabic-speaking tribe of pastoralists living in the region between Darfur and Bahr El Ghazal. One of the leaders of the Habbaniya said that recent news reports on the recent events in Buram District incorrectly blamed the killings on the Salamat tribe, when in fact it was the Central Reserve Force who carried out the attack. This militia, known locally as ‘Abu Tira’, used eight cars to launch an attack on the Habbaniya group, gunning them down. According to the tribal leader, who narrated the course of these events over the shortwave broadcaster Radio Dabanga, his story is based on accounts of witnesses. He affirmed that they have full evidence to show the massacre was committed by the Central Reserve Police.

The Habbaniya leader demanded the Ministry of Interior to investigate the participation of the government force in the attacks. The government was not reached for comment on the alleged events.

For its part, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) through Radio Dabanga called on the two sides to stop fighting. In an interview, the JEM secretary for nomads accused the government of attempting to turn Arab tribes against each other and lead them to war with each other to get rid of them. The secretary called on all the chiefs of the civil administration to not give the government the chance to do so, accusing the government of being behind what happened and behind all the tribal differences in Darfur.

Security authorities have arrested a number of tribal authorities in the area, Radio Dabanga has learnt. The detainees include the omda Musa Mohammed Jiber who is the omda of El Halilat, the omda El Sayed Hamid Bito who is the omda of El Ganayat and the omda of El Rafaya, Osman Izz Eldin. The civilian Awad Ibrahim Mohammed was also arrested. The three omdas and the civilian were deported to Nyala from Buram on Thursday.

Related content: Mayor: Death toll of clashes Habbaniya and Salamat rises to 134 (21 Jun. 2011)