Deadly conflict over a water project in Kassala and violent robbery by militiamen in Darfur

Two people were killed and seven others were wounded in a tribal conflict over a water project in Kassala State on Wednesday. In North Darfur, militiamen violently robbed a man of his rickshaw.

Two people were shot dead and seven others were wounded in a tribal conflict in the El Birma area in the rural Aroma locality of Kassala State on Wednesday. The injured were taken to hospitals in Kassala, while the families of the victims pledged to receive bury them whilst stressing the need to arrest the perpetrators.

The authorities imposed a security cordon in the affected areas and arrested 8 of the accused.

Residents from the area attributed the clashes to a dispute over a water project on the banks of the Atbara River, and some residents of El Sudeira village fenced off the site under the pretext of agriculture. The residents of another village opposed the fencing as they felt that the land belonged to them, which led to clashes during which bullets and knives were used.

North Darfur robbery

In North Darfur, militias robbed and looted a rickshaw using firearms and forced the driver to get out of the vehicle and hand over the keys after they stabbed him with a knife.

According to well-informed sources who spoke to Radio Dabanga from the scene of the accident, the accident occurred on the road linking Barakat Sayra and Saraf Omra state yesterday.

The sources explained that the driver of the rickshaw, whose name is Adam Matuka, was stopped by armed militiamen on motorcycles when he was on his way home.

The sources made it clear that militia members used heavy force to overtake the rickshaw and that the driver was hit in the eye and stabbed twice with a knife.