Gunmen abduct merchant in North Darfur

A local merchant was kidnapped in Kutum town on Thursday evening and taken to an unknown destination.

A relative of the victim told Radio Dabanga that nine gunmen driving a Land Cruiser intercepted Babaker Adam Osman, a well-known merchant nicknamed 'Zumbur', in his vehicle at Kutum's grand market. They forced him out at gunpoint, beat him on his head with a rifle butt, and threw him in their vehicle, before driving into a western direction.

“It is the fourth kidnap of a merchant this year,” the relative said, claiming that the motive of the perpetrators is to extort money from Zumbur's family.

Merchants Ishag El Mahrebi, fuel merchant Abdallah Mustafa, and Ibrahim Abdelshakur were kidnapped for ransoms, and released by their kidnappers when these were paid.