‘At least four dead, entire village destroyed in Darfur air raids’: witnesses

At least four people – including a pregnant woman – are reported to have died, many injured, and a village completely destroyed on Saturday and Sunday, following a series of air raids on East Jebel Marra.  Multiple reports reaching Radio Dabanga from civilians fleeing the area say that on Sunday, the pregnant Hawaa Suleiman Yahiya died, and at least two people were injured, when “a group of eight Sudanese Air Force aircraft including MiG jets, helicopters and Antonovs bombarded a large area of East Jebel Marra”. The North Darfur villages of Tanagara, Sharfa, Dolma, Abu Hamra, Sani Kundo, and Tagali Umagali were all reportedly hit. Tanagara was apparently completely destroyed. In the Gallab area, close to North Tabit military base, Nour Al Daim Saleh Bakhit, and Musa Yahiya Issa were both seriously injured in a bombardment. However, witnesses say that as the raids are ongoing, the exact number of casualties has yet to be assessed. The military spokesman for rebel movement SLM-Abdel Wahid, Mustapha Tambour, told Radio Dabanga that three people, including a child, were killed on Saturday in an air raid on the village of Vanga, also in East Jebel Marra. Tambour said that the Vanga raid “caused the death of a number of livestock, and large tracts of farmland were burned”. As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, several civilians have died, dozens have been injured and much property has been destroyed in “almost daily” bombardments of the East Jebel Marra locality over the past few weeks. File photo (nubareports.org) Darfur’s East Jebel Marra shelled – at least two civilians die: witnesses (15 August 2013)Sudanese Air Force strikes on East Jebel Marra continue: sources (13 August 2013)Darfur’s East Jebel Marra bombing death toll rises (12 August 2013)At least seven die, dozens wounded in North Darfur air raids (11 August 2013)