Another four North Darfuris killed in Border Guards attacks
Members of the Border Guards, together with deserted army soldiers, continued their attacks on villages in North Darfur on Saturday. Four people were killed.
After widespread attacks by groups of Border Guards in the first week of September on rural areas in Kutum locality, the paramilitaries resumed their raids on villages last week, this time in the area of Amrai, north of Kutum. On Thursday and Friday four villagers were killed.
The attackers also robbed a group of about 500 gold miners who had just returned from mines in Chad.
On Saturday, another four people were killed in the area. Three others were wounded, Mohamed Ahmed Minawi, MP for Um Baru and Karnoi constituencies told Radio Dabanga.
“A force of paramilitary fighters riding in 17 vehicles, accompanied by some 50 militiamen on camels attacked the villages of Amrai, Anka, Berdeib, Goldei, and Ajeeb on Saturday for a third day in a row.
Soldiers
“They killed Mousa Adam Farah, Saleh Abakar Mursal, Adam Sabir Ali, and Ibrahim Taher Nafag. Mohamed Bushara El Doma, Ali Wani Abakar, and Eisa Abdallah Jameelallah were injured.”
Minawi added that the attackers stole 116 camels, 86 cows, and 280 sheep and goats.
He reported that deserted soldiers joined the Border Guards. “Among the vehicles were five belonging to the Sudanese army, intended to fight the insurgents. As there are no rebels in the area, the soldiers started to attack villages instead, together with the Border Guards and other militiamen.”
“They are still wearing their military uniforms and use heavy weapons to rob the people.”
The MP said that he will certainly raise the subject in the national parliament.
Members of the Border Guards, together with deserted army soldiers, continued their attacks on villages in North Darfur on Saturday. Four people were killed.
After widespread attacks by groups of Border Guards in the first week of September on rural areas in Kutum locality, the paramilitaries resumed their raids last week, this time on villages in the area of Amrai, north of Kutum. On Thursday and Friday four villagers were killed.
The attackers also robbed a group of about 500 gold miners who had just returned from mines in Chad.
On Saturday, another four people were killed in the area. Three others were wounded, Mohamed Ahmed Minawi, MP for Um Baru and Karnoi constituencies told Radio Dabanga.
“A force of fighters riding in 17 vehicles, accompanied by some 50 men on camels attacked the villages of Amrai, Anka, Berdeib, Goldei, and Ajeeb on Saturday for a third day in a row,” he said.
“They killed Mousa Adam Farah, Saleh Abakar Mursal, Adam Sabir Ali, and Ibrahim Taher Nafag. Mohamed Bushara El Doma, Ali Wani Abakar, and Eisa Abdallah Jameelallah were injured.”
The attackers stole 116 camels, 86 cows, and 280 sheep and goats.
Soldiers
Minawi reported that deserted soldiers joined the Border Guards. “Among the vehicles were five belonging to the Sudanese army, intended to fight the insurgents. As there are no rebels in the area, the soldiers started to attack villages instead, together with the Border Guards.”
“They are still wearing their military uniforms and use heavy weapons to rob the people.”
The MP said that he will certainly raise the subject in the national parliament.
Border Intelligence Brigade
Border Guards is the popular term for the Border Intelligence Brigade, which is part of the Sudanese Military Intelligence. It is funded by the army and has its headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA) explains in a Small Arms Survey report in 2010.
There is no official data on the strength of the Border Intelligence Brigade. One source close to the brigade command claims the number of fully registered guards was 11,000 in October 2010, not counting the unregistered tribal militias that often operate alongside them.
The Borders Guards carry AK-47s and G-3s, rocket-propelled grenades and doshkas (machine guns mounted on Jeeps). Border Guard commanders say they also receive heavier weapons for operations, but are required (in theory) to return these to SAF stores after usage, HSBA says.
The International Crisis Group points in its report The Chaos in Darfur issued in April this year to Khartoum's use of militias and paramilitary groups, such as the Popular Defence Forces, the Border Guards, the Central Reserve Police (aka Abu Tira) and the Rapid Support Forces, to end the rebellions in Darfur, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. Yet “they have proved no more effective than the regular army [..]”.
and then