Militiamen assault, demand money from North Darfuri

Militiamen beat villagers in North Darfur's Tawila locality on Sunday evening, demanding a compensation from them for several dead camels found near their village.

A source in the area told Radio Dabanga that the attackers, “herders from the Abbala tribe”, attacked Katur near Dubo El Omda in the evening. They drove two Land Cruisers and rode on 35 camels.

The militiamen pillaged the homes and assaulted villagers. After surrounding Katur, they held a dozen sheikhs inside the mosque. They claimed they found eight of their camels shot dead two kilometres from Katur.

“Residents in Katur told me that the armed herders force them to choose between paying SDG220,000 ($35,872), as a price for the dead camels, or that eight of the men of the village will be murdered,” the source said on Monday. Needless to say, the villagers added that the situation in Katur is tense.