Armed raid on North Darfur police station ‘act by individuals’

Three accused prisoners were forcibly released from El Fasher South police station in the North Darfur capital at gunpoint on Friday, by armed members of the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance (SLFA). The North Darfur Security Committee expressed condemnation at the attack. The SLFA distanced itself from the incident, calling it an act by individuals. The accused have since been returned.

A statement by the North Darfur Security Committee via the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reports that the incident began at 09:00 on Friday, when some individuals belonging to the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance (SLFA) arrived at the police station and requested that the police should hand the three accused prisoners over to them.

The duty officer at the station refused to comply, as the legal procedures were not completed against the three accused, and no letter was tendered to state that the accused belong to the movement.

According to the statement, at about 14:00 on Friday, men in six combat vehicles came to the police station and forcibly took the three suspects at gunpoint, taking advantage of the small number of policemen in the station.

A letter was brought from the movement demanding the handing over of the accused persons.

The Wali (governor) of North Darfur State, Nimir Abdelrahman, and the other members of the state’s security committee, ordered return of the accused immediately, and demanded the arrest of the force that attacked the police station.

When the accused were returned, it became clear that ony one was a military member of the movement. While the others were ordinary civilians.

SUNA reports that the leaders of the peace parties denounced what has happened and affirmed that it is an individual act and does not express in any way the orientations and principles of the movement, and promised to deter any of their members who commits illegal acts.

*Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance or SLFA was created in July 2017 by joining together a faction of SLM-Unity, Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice, and a faction of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Abdallah Bishr Gali (source: Wikipedia).