Gunmen kill merchant, rob convoy in Darfur

A merchant was reportedly killed by gunmen at his home in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, on Monday. On the previous day, four people were killed and another two injured during an alleged attack by armed robbers on a commercial convoy en route from West to Central Darfur. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that in the early morning of Monday four gunmen broke into the house of merchant Hamid Abbakar Idris Hassan, in the Congo district in Nyala. Hassan refused to hand his pistol and fired at the intruders, injuring two of them before they gunned him down. The witnesses reported that the authorities, in cooperation with a group of citizens, arrested two of the gunmen. On the route between Foro Baranga, West Darfur, and Umm Dukhun, Central Darfur, militiamen opened fire on a commercial convoy consisting of more than four vehicles. One of the passengers told Radio Dabanga that during the subsequent exchange of fire between the guards of the convoy and the attackers, four passengers were injured and two robbers were killed. However, the witness added, the robbers managed to capture the guards. They beat them and robbed them of their weapons, after which they stripped the passengers of their money, amounting to SDG225,000 ($50,500), their mobile phones, and luggage. File photo Related: Two wounded, four ‘missing’ in attack in Gereida, South Darfur (13 October 2013)Farmers kill two armed attackers in East Darfur firefight (13 October 2013) Sheikh slain in widespread militia raids in South Darfur (11 October 2013) Militiamen gun-down Central Darfur sheikh (11 October 2013)