Five wounded in Central Darfur armed robberies

A resident of the Hamidiya camp for the displaced in Central Darfur was wounded in an attack on Saturday. The day before, four men sustained injuries in an armed robbery on the Zalingei-Saraf Omra road.

El Shafee Abdallah, Coordinator of the Central Darfur camps told Radio Dabanga that gunmen driving a Land Cruiser mounted with a Dushka machinegun attempted to halt a commercial vehicle in the area of Tamur, one km east of the camp.

“When they shot at the car, the driver’s assistant, Abdallah Mousa, was hit in his leg. He had to be transferred to the Zalingei Teaching Hospital.

“The robbers chased the vehicle for quite some time,” he said.

Abdallah added that another group of gunmen ambushed two commercial vehicles en route from the Central Darfur capital of Zalingei to Saraf Omra in North Darfur on Friday.

“Another group of robbers driving in two cars intercepted a passenger lorry in the area of Naga Delwa. Most of the passengers were traders who were on their way back to Saraf Omra in North Darfur, after visiting the Zalingei market,” he reported.

“The attackers beat up the passengers and stole all their merchandise. Adam Haroun, Anwar Abdelkarim, and two other traders were wounded. They are now being treated in the hospital of Saraf Omra.”

The camp coordinator pointed to the spread of militiamen northeast of Zalingei. “They are increasing their attacks these days.”

He holds the Central Darfur authorities “fully responsible for what is happening to the displaced people on the streets and their farms”, and demanded them “to restore the rule of law as soon as possible, for the sake of the people living in the area”.

On 30 October, Central Darfur’s Security Committee announced a set of measures to curb the rampant insecurity in the state. After the increase of attacks by militiamen, militant herders, and other gunmen on farmers and commercial vehicles, the authorities decided to ban the use motorcycles and the wearing of a kadamool veil that covers the face.