Large control of stolen vehicles in South Darfur

In the South Darfur capital Nyala, roads are being checked by military and customs personnel for hijacked and smuggled vehicles, which the government seeks to register and regulate.

A joint force began a campaign to inventory vehicles that have been smuggled from Central African Republic, Chad, Libya, and others, on Sunday and Monday. The force is comprised of the Sudanese army, security, police and Rapid Support Forces, along with the customs and federal anti-drug unit.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the campaign targets Land Cruisers. They pointed out that the joint force will confiscate any vehicle that does not have document that prove ownership.

The Governor of South Darfur, Adam El Faki, said that 1,050 vehicles that have been smuggled from CAR, Chad, and Libya, and others stolen from inside Sudan, have been registrated and licensed in cooperation with the customs unit. 1,060 vehicles have been registered.

In his announcement last weekend, El Faki pledged that the campaign against smuggled and stolen vehicles will continue.

The number of stolen and hijacked vehicles has amounted to 3,000 in Sudan in 2015, he said. Nyala is the main market in Darfur for selling stolen vehicles.

Militias

There are certain types of hijacked and stolen vehicles in Darfur, which the government seeks to control and legalise. Including the Land Cruisers that are locally referred to as ‘Halal Theft’, which have spread in large numbers throughout Darfur without number plates or licenses. Most are driven by pro-government militias, including Border Guards and other paramilitary forces. The other type of stolen vehicles that Sudan wants to regulate originate from neighbouring countries.