North Darfur: RSF troops shoot two, shave Mahameed girl’s head

Two people were wounded when members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia opened fire on a vehicle in Kutum in North Darfur on Monday. The vehicle was carrying a Mahameed tribesman and his daughter from Damrat El Sheikh, who were on their way to Kutum to complain that militiamen had shaved the girl’s head.

Member of the North Darfur parliament Adam Manan told Radio Dabanga that RSF militiamen opened fire on the commercial vehicle carrying the 13-year-old Mahameed girl and her father.

He said that El Haj Zakariya and another passenger named Juma sustained bullet wounds. They were rushed to Kutum Hospital.

The MP condemned the militiamen for shaving the girl's hair after they learned she belonged to the Mahameed tribe, and called on them not to discriminate against people on the basis of their tribe.

He said that the girl and her father arrived safely in Kutum where they had a meeting with the commander of the Kutum military garrison. “An RSF legal administration officer arrived today [Monday] from El Fasher, who said they will investigate the incident and bring the offenders to trial.”

Head shaved

The girl was accosted by RSF militiamen while taking livestock for grazing near Damrat El Sheikh in Kutum locality on Friday. When they learned she belonged to the Mahameed clan, headed by Musa Hilal – a janjaweed leader who turned against the government during the last years – they shaved her head and released her.

Hafiz Mohamed, a cousin of the victim, told this station that the incident aroused huge resentment among the victim’s relatives. “We consider it a straightforward provocation.”

He said that members of Unamid, including a human rights defender, accompanied by RSF officers, visited the family of the victim in Damrat El Sheikh on Saturday. “They promised to investigate the incident and punish the perpetrators.”

A picture of the girl with her shaven head has been widely disseminated on social media. Both sources denied rumours that she was raped as well.