Armed group claims ambushing Foro Baranga commissioner

An unknown armed group, calling itself the National Movement for Change in Sudan, announced on Thursday, 13 December, the alleged killing of two Sudanese army officers and seizing of two army vehicles, including the vehicle of Foro Baranga’s commissioner, Suleiman Khater Zayyed.The group claims that the ambush took place near the village of Umm Dabernoa between Foro Baranga and Habila in West Darfur. Local sources confirmed to Radio Dabanga that no casualties have occurred during the operation. Adam Akhishim Braima Daha, who identified himself as the secretary general of the movement, recounted to Radio Dabanga that the movement seized five Kalashnikov rifles, a sniper rifle and five pistols from the vehicles. He added that the commissioner’s car was confiscated and that the commissioner ‘was released rather than killed’. ‘Masked gunmen’The commissioner of Foro Baranga, Suleiman Khater Zayyed, denied being subjected to an attack on Thursday, however he confirmed to Radio Dabanga that ‘masked gunmen’ intercepted a vehicle on the road from Foro Baranga to El Geneina that day. He stated that gunmen forced the passengers to disembark from the vehicle, looted their belongings, seized the vehicle and fled. Meanwhile, local sources affirmed that the incident took place on Thursday morning and added that nobody was killed but that the commissioner’s guards were stripped from their weapons.Lastly, they added that the commissioner’s guards are not policemen but ‘local pro-government militiamen’.Radio Dabanga file photo