Gunmen kill Darfur displaced women resisting rape

The residents of El Salam camp, south of Nyala in South Darfur, gathered for a mass demonstration against the killing of a displaced woman by pro-government militiamen on Friday. Another displaced woman was killed in Central Darfur on Wednesday, when she resisted militiamen who wanted to rape her. The sheikh of the camp in Bielel locality, Mahjoub Adam Tabaldiya, told Radio Dabanga that four members of a government-backed militia had attacked Khadija Mohamed Suleiman inside the camp at 6pm on Thursday in an attempt to rape her. She started fighting back, after which the gunmen opened fire and killed her on the spot. The men also wounded her son, Arbab Ibrahim Younis. He was transferred to the hospital and currently is in a critical condition. Tabaldiya revealed that the deceased Khadija Suleiman was buried on Friday evening. She left behind nine children, and her husband, who remains missing after an attack by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the area southeast of Nyala. Demonstration against insecurity“After these events, the displaced people held a massive demonstration on Friday morning, until the Friday prayers started. The crowd gathered in front of the headquarters of the UN-AU Mission in Darfur (Unamid). They demonstrated against the deteriorating security situation in the camp and the failure of Unamid to protect the displaced,” the sheikh reported. Many newly displaced people have sought refuge in El Salam camp, after fleeing from wide-scale attacks by Sudanese militia forces on villages in the area south east of Nyala at the end of February this year. A few days later, however, the camp was surrounded by the government RSF and other militia troops in armed vehicles. Displaced woman killed by militiamen Gunmen killed a displaced woman of Garsila camp in Wadi Salih locality, Central Darfur, on Wednesday night. A camp sheikh told Radio Dabanga that government-backed militiamen attacked Halima Yousif Yagoub when she was working on her onion farm in Burunga area, east of Garsila. “They intended to rape her, but she fought back. The men then shot her.” She was transported to a hospital in Garsila by other people from the camp, but died on Thursday from her serious injuries. The sheikh said that Halima Yagoub was buried on Friday. She had nine children. He called upon the authorities to put and end to the pro-government militias’ violence. File photo: Displaced woman with child in Darfur (Helene Caux/US Holocaust Memorial Museum) Related: Displaced girl gang-raped in Central Darfur (8 April 2014) Assaults on South Darfur El Salam camp population continue (2 April 2014) 18,000 newly displaced arrive at South Darfur camps; militias surround El Salam (3 March 2014)