More militia raids on Kutum villages

Several villages in Kutum, North Darfur, witnessed raids by militiamen on Sunday. President Al Bashir called for ‘guarding peace in the state by force’.

Militiamen opened fire into the air before they stormed Deleba El Kabir and Deleba El Saghir in western Kutum on motor cycles and camels. Sources in the area told this station that the attackers stole money, property and livestock from villagers.

An unknown number of villagers arrived in Abdel Shakur, located north, while others fled to the nearby mountains and valleys. Reports of casualty numbers and the total amount of stolen property have not yet been verified.

Recent fighting between government and rebel forces at the end of May has caused insecurity in the locality, and villages in the vicinity of Ein Siro were raided by militiamen. The announcement of the Governor of North Darfur that the area was safe to return to last week, led to various assaults on returning villagers facing militiamen who were still roaming the area.

‘Peace which is not guarded by force, would be subject to its collapse.’

Calls for rebels’ inclusion

On Sunday, President Omar Al Bashir called on the armed movements in Sudan to renounce violence and participate in re-building the country. He said so during the first session of the National Council for Strategic Planning, which took place at the Republican Palace.

“The government’s call for lasting peace and the pursuit of it will not prevent the government from seeking to build and develop its military capabilities and defense system.”

The president added that peace which is not guarded by force, would be subject to, eventually, collapse.