Militias surround N. Darfur police station, claim aides’ release

Pro-government militias surrounded Kabkabiya’s police headquarters in North Darfur demanding the release of three of their aides reportedly detained after trying to steal the cart of a civilian at the town’s market. Previous reports by Radio Dabanga suggested that members of the Doha signatory group Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) prevented the militias from robbing the citizen and handed the perpetrators over to the local army garrison on Tuesday.The militants, driving five Land Cruisers loaded with weapons, approached the police headquarters on Friday at 9:00am. However, police officers said their colleagues were locked up at the military garrison and the gunmen left town.Sources told Radio Dabanga the militants fled towards an area called Al-Hara, east of Kabkabiya, which is reportedly a militia base.Local sources affirmed on Friday that Kabkabiya’s market has been closed since Tuesday when the first clashes between the pro-government militias and the LJM took place. Protest march Sixty-eight owners of commercial vehicles operating in Kabkabiya’s transportation system marched on Friday from the town’s market towards the building of the security services.They were protesting against repeated attacks by pro-government militias who try stealing ther vehicles at gunpoint.One of the demonstrators told Radio Dabanga they lodged a memorandum demanding protection from the director of the security services, who pledged to help them.Photo: Police station in Omdurman (file)Related: Sudan authorities in ‘arrest campaign’ against Doha signatories (28 February 2013)