Farmers abducted, vehicles seized in South Darfur

Militiamen kidnapped two farmers at Rahad Zarroug in Gireida locality on Tuesday. South Darfur security authorities have seized “hundreds of illegal vehicles” from abroad.

Militiamen in Rahad Zarroug, 15km west of Gireida, threatened displaced people who were farming, on Tuesday at 10 o’clock in the morning. The men rode camels and carried weapons. They abducted farmers Haidar Adam Guma and Adam Daoud from Abyei camp for displaced people.

The attackers stole a horse and cart before heading west with the abductees. People reported the incident to the police in Gireida, which did not move on the pretext of lack of fuel, a witness told Radio Dabanga. A rescue team consisting of locals then set-out to search for Guma and Daoud. They went as far as ​​Sergeila area in Tullus before returning empty-handed.

In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, authorities carried out a large security campaign to seize the illegal vehicles, allegedly coming from neighbouring countries – Libya in particular. The government attempts to put an end to the phenomenon of bandits roaming the streets in illegal or unlicensed vehicles, a contributor to the insecurity in the state.

Other states in Darfur also started or completed campaigns for the registration of unlicensed vehicles, in an attempt to decrease the number of illegal vehicles.

The South Darfyr security authorities have managed to seize hundreds of illegal vehicles in the security campaign that took place in the streets of the city and its entrances. Many vehicles (popularly known as ‘Boko Haram’) are believed to be smuggled from neighbouring Chad or Libya.

“At least 400 vehicles have been seized by the 16th Infantry in Nyala, to force their owners to legalise and then license them,” a security official told the press in Nyala. He added that there are more than 9,000 unlicensed vehicles.

Libyan news media reported early this year that authorities in the country allow the shipments of vehicles from Libya to Sudan through Egypt.