Murder, sex assault, robbery, hijack in Darfur

Two young men were shot dead by gunmen in downtown Nyala, capital of South Darfur, on Tuesday. On the same day, militia members hijacked a commercial vehicle in Tawila, North Darfur. In Nierteti, Central Darfur, a displaced woman died on Wednesday after being beaten by a militiaman.  

“Three members of a government militia suddenly fired at El Taher Ali El Taher, a secondary school student, and Ismail Adam Ali, in Wadi Berli in the centre of Nyala, at about 7 pm on Tuesday,” a relative of El Taher reported to Radio Dabanga. “The victims, who were on their way home in El Jeer district, were killed instantly.”

He said that during the funeral on Wednesday, mourners launched a protest “against the fifth incident in which residents of the neighbourhood were killed this month”.

“We tracked the perpetrators,” he added, “and found them to be living in one of the militia houses in the area of Domaya, west of Nyala.”

Robbery, hijack

Omda Mukhtar Bosh, coordinator of the Tawila camps for the displaced, reported to Radio Dabanga, that a group of ten Janjaweed on camels ambushed a passengers’ van, en route from Gargaf village to the Tawila town market on Tuesday morning.

“They forced the driver, Ismail Daoud, to stop his car at gunpoint. The passengers were ordered to disembark, after which they robbed them of their money, totalling about SDG10,000 ($1,740), and 20 mobile phones. They then left, taking the vehicle with them, heading towards Um Jilbakh.”

Rape attempt

On Wednesday, Aisha Khamis Birwan died of head wounds inflicted by a militiaman in her home.  

“A militiaman stormed their house in Khor Ramla, west of Nierteti town, on Tuesday evening,” a neighbour told Radio Dabanga.

“When he attempted to rape her daughter, she defended the girl, whereupon he hit her three times very hard on the head with his rifle. She and her daughter who was beaten too, were taken to Nyala Teaching Hospital, where she died the next day. The girl is still being treated,” he said.