Burning of villages, families flee

Close to one hundred families fled from the area west of Shangil Tobaya and East Jebel Marra to the valleys and mountains, seeking refuge after local militias backed by government forces raided their villages. A witness told Radio Dabanga that the forces centered in Shangil Tobaya moved with more than 20 cars backed by local militias on camel and horse backs and burnt down the villages of Abu Mara, Jurab Elray, Asilowa, Karko and Linda on Sunday. The witness also stated that most of those families headed towards Zamzam camp near El Fasher yesterday morning. The witness appealed to the UN and humanitarian organizations to interfere quickly to protect them and offer relief.