‘Massive spread of masked gunmen’ drives wave of Darfur banditry

Lawlessness and insecurity are ongoing in Darfur, with bands of marauding gunmen intent on robbery, a constant threat to anyone using the roads and perceived to be carrying anything of value.

On Monday evening, two armed men on a motorcycle robbed the passengers of a vehicle who were on their way from Kass in South Darfur to the weekly Tuesday market in Saraf Omra in North Darfur.

A listener told Radio Dabanga that the gunmen stopped the vehicle south of the valley near Saraf Omra at gunpoint, forced the driver to move the vehicle away from the road. The bandits robbed the passengers of their luggage, mobile phones, and cash, and fled.

In South Darfur, bandits have threatened and robbed the passengers of at least 15 tuktuk rikshaws that operate between Agbash and Sarafaya mines in Radoom locality over the past few days. Passengers were beaten and their belongings stolen.

A source told Radio Dabanga that robberies have increased on the roads leading to the mines, which constitutes a threat to the private mining operations. They pointed to the “massive spread of masked gunmen” between the mining lines and the mining markets.