Livestock rustling spree in Darfur ‘in spite of calm’

Armed militiamen, allegedly Abbala, reportedly rustled 100 cattle from the Wadi Bargo area in Al Sareif Beni Hussein locality in North Darfur on Saturday. Omda Omar Abdullah Nour told Radio Dabanga that “a group of Abbala” on Saturday attacked several farmers before taking their cattle. The Omda says that these skirmishes occurred “in spite of the atmosphere of calm that prevails in the region”. The ‘calm’ follows the resumption of secure goods and fuel convoys between Saraf Omra and Al Sareif Beni Hussein. The Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes fought violently earlier this year over control of the Jebel ‘Amer gold mine in Al Sareif Beni Hussein locality, leaving at least 500 people killed. The UN estimates that more than 100,000 people were displaced. In West Darfur, a group of what displaced witnesses described as ‘pro-government militiamen’ stole nearly 300 sheep and goats in the vicinity of Sawani Camp in West Darfur and herded them into Wadi Kaja which forms the border with Chad. The displaced requested authorities to prosecute the offenders and recover the stolen sheep. On Saturday quantities of sugar, flour, oil and other goods were reportedly stolen in a raid on Camp Attash near Nyala in South Darfur. The displaced of the camp asked Unamid to play its role in protecting the displaced, to curb the lawlessness and prosecute the perpetrators. File photo by Sojoud Elgarrai/UNAMID Related: ‘Abbala militias rob army guarded convoy’ in North Darfur (8 July 2013)