Imam injured, school guard killed ‘by militiamen’ in Central Darfur

A guard at Garsila Basic School in Central Darfur, Mohamed Issa Juma, was shot dead on Thursday night, allegedly by “pro-government militiamen”. In a shooting by a similar group, the Imam of Garsila Mosque, Bashir Musa Abdul Mawla was injured on Wednesday. A sheikh of Garsila told Radio Dabanga that complaints of both incidents have been filed with the police “but they have done nothing”. “The citizens of Garsila call on Unamid to provide patrols to protect the citizens and displaced people from these pro-government militia attacks,” he said. “Several citizens have expressed concern about the insecurity in the region due to the frightening spread of weapons, at a time there is no any action by the police, who only receive complaints”. The displaced persons and citizens in Garsila called on international organisations and Unamid to deploy troops to protect civilians, holding the government responsible for the deterioration of the security situation and the spread of weapons. The city is witnessing deteriorating security conditions due to the spread of weapons in the hands of pro-government militias,” an activist told Radio Dabanga. “There are widespread weapons in the area because the government has distributed them to destabilise the people of Darfur.” The activist asserted that the intervention of the authorities, as well as Unamid, is necessary to find solutions in the region.File photo