No militia protection for North Darfur victims of recent fighting

The people of four villages in the area of Ein Siro in Kutum locality in North Darfur were robbed after they responded to the appeal by the Governor of North Darfur on Thursday to return to their homes.

The villagers fled into the mountains near Ein Siro when their houses were attacked in the last week of May. On 20 May, government forces attacked a large rebel convoy in the area, after which they ransacked the village of Ein Siro and surrounding villages.

After the Governor of North Darfur told them last week that the area was safe again, the residents of four villages descended from the mountains and were attacked. “Militiamen on camels and horses intercepted them, robbed them of all their possessions, and then drove them back into the mountains,” an activist told Radio Dabanga from Kutum.

He said that there are many more villagers hiding in the mountains. “They are living in the open without access to anything. The situation requires effective and rapid action by the government and organisations.”

The activist downplayed the Governor of North Darfur’s announcement on the provision of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to protect the people in the area of Ein Siro.

“The RSF troops are only stationed at the outer borders of the area without constituting any protection for the villages. Militant Abbala tribesmen continue to plunder villages further from the areas where the RSF are stationed.

“The property stolen from the villages of Ein Siro during and after the fighting between the government forces and rebel combatants in late May is now for sale at low prices at the markets in the neighbourhood,” he added. “On Friday, we saw stolen cows and goats for sale at the Fata Borno market and at the markets north and west of Kutum.”