‘Collecting firewood forbidden near Kutum’: North Darfur militiamen

Six people from Kutum in North Darfur were injured on Monday, in an assault by militiamen after they had collected straw outside the town. Increasing numbers of militiamen have arrived at the area, and are preventing the people to collect firewood and straw.

“Those militiamen threaten to beat, whip, and kill anyone who goes out to collect firewood or straw. They claim that the area outside the town is a pasture for their livestock and camels, and not meant for gathering firewood and charcoal,” a listener told Dabanga from Kutum town.

He said that a group of six people was assaulted by militiamen on Monday, when they were returning to the town with their donkeys loaded with straw. “The attackers severely beat and whipped them, and set fire to the straw, which led to the death of some of the donkeys.”

 “These days, more and more people take to cooking on firewood and straw, because of the shortage of gas cylinders and the ensuing skyrocketing prices of cooking gas,” he explained.