Militants shoot baker headed for work in Central Darfur

Two pro-government militiamen ambushed and shot a baker on Monday morning as he was on his way to work in Zalingei, Central Darfur’s capital. The day before, Sudan’s Central Reserve Forces (Abu Tira) pillaged a market in the vicinity. Abdulsalam Ibrahim Abdullah was attacked at 7:00am and was injured on his leg. A Zalingei camps’ coordinator told Radio Dabanga Abdullah was taken to a hospital in the capital, where he is currently being treated. The camps’ coordinator said the victim, a father of two, is a displaced living in Al Hamidiya camp and works in Zalingei as a baker.On Sunday, four gunmen wearing military uniforms of the Abu Tira forces pillaged three shops of Mureen market. The bazaar is located near Al Hamidiya and 500 meters away from a UNAMID base.The assault happened at 9:00pm, the coordinator said, adding the Abu Tira forces who carried it are “well-known” to the authorities and to the population of Zalingei.He asked the Sudanese army to protect the displaced and that state authorities put a halt to militias’ abuses and bring perpetrators to justice.File photo: A baker at a Darfur refugee camp in eastern Chad, 2011 (UNHCR/F. Noy)