Barrel bombs, abduction in Darfur’s Jebel Marra

Four bombs were dropped on eastern Jebel Marra on Monday, killing a number of livestock. Gunmen abducted six people at the entrance of a village on Saturday.

The Sudanese Air Force struck an area 15 kilometres south of Fanga, near the border with Tawila locality, with four barrel bombs. No human casualties were reported but the aerial bombardment killed eight cows, three donkeys, and two goats, a resident from the area told Radio Dabanga.

The Sudanese Air Force dropped barrel bombs on the area of Jawa in the eastern part of Jebel Marra on 6 April, and Maya in Kabkabiya locality and Aja in northern Jebel Marra on 22 and 23 April.

The previous United States administration announced that Sudan has reduced military aerial bombardment in the Darfur region, among other reported improvements. The reduction is one of the reasons why President Obama decided to order the partial lifting of financial sanctions against Sudan.

This July, after a six-month review period, the US Government must decide whether the progress in Sudan is feasible to ease the economic sanctions and a trade embargo which have been in place against Sudan since 1997.

Kidnapping

In Tundobaya in Tawila locality, gunmen kidnapped six people, including Omda Bahar Mohamed Sam. They hijacked their vehicle at the entrance of Tundobaya.

A witness reported that armed men, driving two vehicles with Dushka machine guns mounted on top, boarded the vehicle at gunpoint. The victims were reportedly beaten and robbed of SDG1,000 in cash and six mobile phones, before the bandits took them in the direction of Um Jalbakh area.