Banditry across Darfur leaves seven dead, three women raped

Two farmers were killed and three women were raped last week in El Salam locality in South Darfur. In a separate incident, a farmer was killed in Central Darfur while on Sunday, four farmers were shot dead and six others wounded in an attack in El Sareif Beni Hussein locality in North Darfur.

Three gunmen killed two farmers while they were tilling their farm in Hillet Temebto on Friday, Community leader Mahjoub Adam, from the El Salam camp for the displaced in Nyala, told Radio Dabanga.

The farmers were displaced people who returned to their locality for the current agricultural season.

Two rape incidents

On Tuesday, three young women were raped in two separate incidents in the areas of Abdi and Marina.

The attackers beat the women with rifle butts before they raped them. The victims were taken to the hospital. The alleged perpetrators were arrested. No further information is available about the victims and their attackers’ current circumstances.

On Friday, people in Gereida town in South Darfur took to the street in protest against the rampant insecurity in the area. They began an open sit-in, demanding protection, and the prosecution of the attackers.

Tractor driver shot

In Central Darfur, a tractor driver was shot dead in an armed robbery on Saturday.

Adam Okar told Radio Dabanga that gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on El Tayeb Abdelllatif while he was driving his tractor on the Zalingei-Dankouj road and killed him instantly.

In protest against the recurrent attacks in Central Darfur, activists began a sit-in in Nierteti on June 28. 

A week later, a high-level government delegation from Khartoum visited the protest vigil, and pledged to implement their “just demands”. It was agreed that a number of officials would be dismissed, and a joint security force will secure the agricultural season.

The leaders of the sit-in decided to lift their protest on July 15. “We all hope that the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement will bring security and stability to the region,” a member of the sit-in committee told this station.

North Darfur attack

On Sunday, four farmers were shot dead and six others were wounded in an attack in El Sareif Beni Hussein locality in North Darfur.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that an armed group of men riding on motorcycles attacked El Jaref, east of Jebel Amer, reportedly in a dispute over land.

Farmers Suleiman Abdelkarim, Adam Abdallah, El Nour Idris, and 14-year old Mekka Fadul were killed. Sheikh Younes Adam, Mubarak Abdelrahman, Hasan Mousa, Yousef Zakariya, Maryam Fadul, and Hawa Suleiman were wounded.

Forces present in the area reportedly immediately intervened, and managed to separate the two sides.

Maj Gen Malik Khojali, army commander of the western region (and former governor of North Darfur), said that the conflict is an extension of old differences between Beni Hussein and Mahariya tribes.

State of Emergency

At least nine people were killed and 17 others wounded during an attack by militiamen on the sit-in at Fata Borno camp for the displaced in Kutum locality in North Darfur on 13 July. A State of Emergency was declared throughout the state.

In a statement on 12 July, the governor pledged to send more troops to the Fata Borno Administrative Unit, Kutum, and neighbouring Kabkabiya and El Sareif Beni Hussein localities.

The week before, the locality director banned all motorcycles which are a preferred means for gunmen in hit-and-run attacks.

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