North Darfur militia threat: citizens pay blood money
A pro-government militia forced the residents of Tawila locality in North Darfur on Wednesday to pay a large amount of blood money, following the death of one of their members in Rwanda camp for the displaced on 30 January. One of the citizens told Radio Dabanga that a pro-government militia surrounded Rwanda camp in Tawila with 32 Land Cruisers, asking to pay up 210,000 SDG ($36,655). As a result, a government delegation travelled by a private jet from El Fasher to Tawila. It was headed by the locality commissioner Adam Ahmed Mohamed, Issa Abdulah Issa of the security apparatus, Shartai Ishaacq Abbakar Saboun, and a member of the Legislative Council Youssef Abdel Majied. “About 200 citizens met with the delegation at the headquarters of Unamid to resolve the problem,” the witness told; “where the delegation told them after deliberations that they have nothing to do with this problem, which concerns the citizens of the region.”The listener added 10,000 SDG ($1,745) were paid on Wednesday, 70,000 SDG ($12,218) in cash on Saturday and the final 130,000 SDG ($22,691) will be paid after 15 days. The witness expressed surprise at obliging them by force of arms in front of the authorities to pay a blood money during a week. “The same militiamen killed more than 60 people in 2010 at Atabra area and none of them has been arrested, let alone paid blood money.” Last week, the militiamen had threatened to invade Tawila and burn the Rwanda and Argo camps after the citizens had denied killing one of their members during an attack on Rwanda camp on 30 January. Shops of the market in Tawila were closed for five consecutive days in fear of further attacks by the militiamen. The town’s citizens, as well as the displaced residents of the Rwanda and Argo camps, remained inside their homes. File photo: Children wait with their family’s donkeys on the edge of Rwanda Camp near Tawila, North Darfur. (Jehad Nga / MSF) Related: Militia threat; North Darfur market closed for fifth day (6 February 2014)
A pro-government militia forced the residents of Tawila locality in North Darfur on Wednesday to pay a large amount of blood money, following the death of one of their members in Rwanda camp for the displaced on 30 January.
One of the citizens told Radio Dabanga that a pro-government militia surrounded Rwanda camp in Tawila with 32 Land Cruisers, asking to pay up 210,000 SDG ($36,655).
As a result, a government delegation travelled by a private jet from El Fasher to Tawila. It was headed by the locality commissioner Adam Ahmed Mohamed, Issa Abdulah Issa of the security apparatus, Shartai Ishaacq Abbakar Saboun, and a member of the Legislative Council Youssef Abdel Majied.
“About 200 citizens met with the delegation at the headquarters of Unamid to resolve the problem,” the witness told; “where the delegation told them after deliberations that they have nothing to do with this problem, which concerns the citizens of the region.”
The listener added 10,000 SDG ($1,745) were paid on Wednesday, 70,000 SDG ($12,218) in cash on Saturday and the final 130,000 SDG ($22,691) will be paid after 15 days.
The witness expressed surprise at obliging them by force of arms in front of the authorities to pay a blood money during a week. “The same militiamen killed more than 60 people in 2010 at Atabra area and none of them has been arrested, let alone paid blood money.”
Last week, the militiamen had threatened to invade Tawila and burn the Rwanda and Argo camps after the citizens had denied killing one of their members during an attack on Rwanda camp on 30 January. Shops of the market in Tawila were closed for five consecutive days in fear of further attacks by the militiamen. The town’s citizens, as well as the displaced residents of the Rwanda and Argo camps, remained inside their homes.
File photo: Children wait with their family’s donkeys on the edge of Rwanda Camp near Tawila, North Darfur. (Jehad Nga / MSF)
Related: Militia threat; North Darfur market closed for fifth day (6 February 2014)
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