Livestock seized by militia in South Darfur; rebel forces absent

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who attacked a large number of villages in the area southeast of Nyala on Thursday and Friday have, apart from killing the villagers and plundering their houses, raped and abducted many young women. They also seized large numbers of livestock. Rebel forces were allegedly absent from the area. Adam Eisa Mohamed was one of the people who fled the attack on Um Gounja on Friday. He sought refuge on Jebel Guli, east of Sani Deleiba. Speaking from the mountain, he told Radio Dabanga that he witnessed the killing of about 20 Um Gounja residents and the abduction of more than 15 young women from the village by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). “The Rapid Support Janjaweed also seized about 40,000 sheep, 4,000 goats, 2,000 cows, 300 camels, and dozens of horses and donkeys from Um Gounja and the areas around,” the villager reported. “Hundreds of people who fled their villages are wandering in the wilderness, the valleys, and the mountains without access to water and food. He appealed to humanitarian organisations to intervene and rescue those people. White-skinned fighters Mohamed described to Radio Dabanga how the paramilitary RSF attacked the area of Um Gounja on Friday morning. “At about 6am dozens of gunmen on camels and horses appeared. They were followed by Rapid Support Janjaweed in dozens of Land Cruisers.Behind these forces, troops of the Sudan Armed Forces approached, supporting the RSF with tanks.” He said that the villagers were surprised to see the colour of the skin of some of the fighters. “We had never before seen such white skinned people.” The attackers were shouting “Kill, slay, slaughter!” More than 60 villages attacked Minni Minawi, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM), reported to Radio Dabanga that more than 200 people were killed, 40 young women were raped, 30,000 heads of livestock were stolen in the area of Um Gounja and Hijer Tunjo. According to Minawi, more than 60 villages were attacked, plundered, set on fire, and destroyed, “by the RSF under the command of the security apparatus” on Friday. He holds President Al Bashir “personally responsible for this new act of genocide”. No rebel forces in the area He emphasised the absence of rebel forces in the areas “where the crimes took place”. “We were present, but most of our fighters had left to the area before the RSF attacks. On Wednesday the last SLM fighters left, after they had attacked and destroyed a RSF reconnaissance squad south of Nyala. They followed our troops who had arrived in North Darfur before, where we attacked the garrisons of Alliet Jarelnabi and Haskanita.” File photo: Darfuri militiamen (mtholyoke.edu)Related:Rebels condemn militia attacks on South Darfur villages (3 March 2014) 18,000 newly displaced arrive at South Darfur camps; El Salam camp surrounded by militia forces (3 March 2014)Joint rebel forces attack two military garrisons in North Darfur (2 March 2014) Thousands displaced in attack on more than 35 villages in South Darfur (28 February 2014)