‘Armed men attacked nomads and farmers’

UNAMID’s latest report says the clashes weren’t between herders and local farmers

Four armed men attacked a local peace committee comprising representatives of farmers and nomads from various tribes in Saraf Omra’s Tamaru village last week, the United Nations African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said on Tuesday.The clashes were earlier reported to have broken out between the nomadic herders and local farmers. Local representatives, however, told the UNAMID’s patrol team that the four armed men had attacked the local peace committee that had met to discuss issues related to farmlands and seasonal migration.

The attack has caused four deaths and left three injured, the UNAMID said in a statement.

Local leaders suspect collusion

Prior to the latest update released by the UNAMID, local leaders in the region suspected that the UNAMID was colluding with the Sudanese government with respect to investigating the clashes.

One of the leaders demanded for an international investigation. “Contrary to what the UNAMID first claimed, what happened was a targeted attack of civilians in the village by people driving Land Cruisers,” he said, adding that there were no differences between the herders and farmers.