Darfur merchant abducted

Merchant Adam Omar Adam was kidnapped from Kabkabiya market in North Darfur on Thursday afternoon. Pro-government militiamen took him to their camp at Tekino south of Kabkabiya, and demand a ransom for his release.

Adam was released on Saturday after a delegation of relatives negotiated with the militiamen and agreed to pay SDG 20,000 ($3,300).

A relative of the abducted man told Radio Dabanga that the militiamen, allegedly part of a group commanded by Abaker, were driving a Land Cruiser mounted with a Dushka machinegun. They attacked Adam at 4 pm as he made his way from the market to his home in El Mawashi district. They forced him into their vehicle at gunpoint and took him to their camp.

On Friday, the gunmen contacted the relatives of the kidnapped man and demanded the ransom.

The witness said they reported the kidnapping to the Kabkabiya garrison commander, the police and Unamid. “However, they did not move to release the abductee.”

The kidnapping has prompted a wave of anger from Kabkabiya residents. This incident is the second of its kind in the area in one month. In August, a secondary school student Mohammed Sharif was kidnapped and released after a ransom of SDG22,000 ($3,600) was paid.

The witness said that the residents Kabkabiya have agreed to raise a strongly worded memorandum to the authorities, demanding they stop the kidnappings, which they said, are carried out by elements and directives known to the authorities.