North Darfur militia threatens new Tawila raid

The number of people killed and injured in Tuesday’s attack on Tawila, North Darfur, on Tuesday has risen to 28.

Omda Mukhtar Bosh, coordinator of the Tawila camps for the displaced, informed Radio Dabanga that 28 people were killed or wounded, including 13 attackers, on Tuesday afternoon, when militiamen raided a reception in the town, held on the occasion of the arrival of the new Commissioner.

Bosch said that most of the women and children took refuge at the Tawila Unamid base, fearing renewed attacks. “For this reason government institutions and shops closed their doors since Tuesday.”

The authorities deployed a 12-vehicles strong joint force of army soldiers and police agents, and paramilitaries of the Central Reserve Police and the Popular Defence Forces, to guard the market and secure the town.

The camp coordinator added that traffic to and from the town “has come to complete standstill” since Tuesday “because the government-backed militiamen made camp some five kilometres south of Tawila, where they are driving their vehicles, horses, and camels, threatening to storm the town and plunder the market”.