Hunt for ‘wanted’ East Darfur tribesmen continues

On Monday, witnesses told Radio Dabanga from East Darfur that the hunt for wanted persons from Rizeigat and Maaliya in East Darfur has continued with search operations and raiding of homes and villages by members of the Sudanese security forces.

On Sunday Omda Hamid Mohamedi Bashar told Radio Dabanga from Abu Karinka that the Rapid Support Forces detained six Maaliya from Abu Karinka and Bobaya.

He said the Rapid Support Forces are still deployed in Abu Karinka, Adila and Badia in search for the group of people whose names appeared in a list.

He pointed out that five of the Omdas were called to attend a meeting with the troops in Abu Karinka, while they were waiting for their presence yesterday afternoon.

On Sunday and Monday in Ed Daein the Rapid Support Forces detained a number of people as part of a security crackdown that began in East Darfur on Saturday.

Yesterday activists in Ed Daein told Radio Dabanga that the forces moved inside the city and targeted some villages and settlements in search of wanted individuals in a list that is being checked.

Brig. Gen. Abdelrahim Juma, the spokesman for the forces of conflict resolution of the rapid support announced the arrest of more than 130 of the Maaliya and Rizeigat, including Omdas and native administrations who were transferred to Port Sudan.

Arms collection

General Juma said in a radio interview that the campaign of arrest and raid continued as the forces were able to collect more than 200 guns and are working in the disarmament of all citizens.

He said "any citizen arrested for having a gun will be imprisoned for five years".

He confirmed that the forces came to East Darfur in an official capacity to deter any outlaw or criminal.

In Khartoum, Minister of Defence Lt. Gen. Awad bin Auf threatened to use force to collect weapons from the people and impose the rule of law.

He said in remarks after an orientation meeting with the members of the Security and Defence Committee and Parliamentary committees’ chairmen “The army is keen to impose the prestige of the state and collect arms from the people even if it leads to the use of force"

During his visit to the Darfur states last year, President Omar Al Bashir stressed the determination of the state to disarm from the hands of citizens in the first two phases voluntarily through the collection of weapons in return for compensation and the other through the law.

200,000 weapons

According to security and civil reports, more than 200,000 weapons are spread in the hands of tribes in Darfur.

Local experts have confirmed that many tribes have heavy weapons – guns and machine guns – in addition to the possession of four-wheel drive vehicles that are used in tribal clashes which increase the number of victims.