Deadly Darfur attacks leave eight dead, 12 injured

At least five people have died, 10 others were injured, and a large number of civilians have fled their homes after an artillery attack on Sortony camp in Kabkabiya locality in North Darfur. Regular and peace-signed forces during the era of the former regime were accused of perpetrating the attack. Another three people died and two others were wounded in two separate incidents in Gireida locality in South Darfur.

According to statements by the Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees in North Darfur, Sortony camp for the displaced was subjected to a sustained attack, which was combined with artillery shelling, that lasted for several hours on Saturday morning.

The coordination told Radio Dabanga that many homes were burned in the bombing. The organisation indicated that there was no telephone network in the camp to count the casualties and losses. It also announced that five people were killed, 10 others were injured, and a number of camp houses were burned as a result of the attack.

The coordination demanded the judicial and humanitarian authorities to immediately investigate the attack. Regular and peace-signed forces during the era of the former regime were accused of perpetrating the attack.

South Darfur Violence

In South Darfur, three people were killed and two others wounded in two separate incidents on Thursday and Friday in Gereida locality in South Darfur. A caller from Gereida told Radio Dabanga that a large number of gunmen riding camels, horses, and motorcycles attacked the village of Habouba, 15 kilometres west of Gereida town, simultaneously from the west and the east on Thursday,.

The witness explained that the residents of the village returned to their agricultural activities a month ago. Babiker Harun Adam and Abdelrahman Harun Adam were killed, two others were injured, and the attackers made off with agricultural crops and livestock.

In a separate incident on Friday, gunmen attacked tuk-tuk motor rikshaws vehicles on their way to Dito market. Yassin Bakhit Ibrahim died in the attack. Witnesses say that the regular security forces did not react to protect the public, nor have any of the perpetrators been arrested.

The Gereida Local Students Association called on universities and higher institutes to pressurise government to disarm the militias and open an immediate investigation to uncover those involved in the attack Habouba in and bring them to justice. It also called in a statement for international and regional organizations to escalate these violations to the Human Rights Council. Darfur, and the association appealed to neighbourhood and city resistance committees, civil society organisations and human rights activists to stand by the victims.

The governor of the Darfur region and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Minni Arko Minawi, announced the arrival of the forces of the Sudan Liberation Movement to El-Fasher on Saturday, in fulfilment of the timing of the formation of the joint force to protect civilians in Darfur. Juba so that the citizens can enjoy real and not false peace.

The force consists of hundreds of soldiers and on board dozens of armoured vehicles and four-wheel drive vehicles. The head of the movement in North Darfur, Abu Hurairah, said in a press statement that their forces are ready to participate in protecting the agricultural season and to join the joint forces to maintain security in the region. He stressed that the forces of the parties to the peace process are working in joint coordination and great understanding with the regular agencies in the state in order to preserve the security of the citizen.