Omda of Nierteti, three others held by Military Intelligence in Central Darfur

The Military Intelligence of Nierteti in Central Darfur detained four more people on Thursday.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, multiple sources reported that the omda of Nierteti, Tijani Seifeldein, and the sheikh of Nierteti’s Omda district, Abakar Mohamed Ahmed, were detained from their homes in the town.

The head of the Northern Nierteti Camp for the displaced, Adam Hamid, and the head of the youth in the camp, Ahmed Abdallah, were detained as well.

Reasons were not provided.

Of the 25 others who were detained by the Military Intelligence unit in Nierteti during the past two weeks,13 were released on Wednesday.

Arms collection

According to the sources, the omdas and displaced community leaders have been detained because of the disarmament campaign currently being implemented by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and army soldiers in a number of states in Sudan, including Darfur.

Many displaced in Darfur have complained to Radio Dabanga about the behaviour of the RSF troops during their search for illegal weapons in the camps. Apart from harassment, the militiamen as well took mobile telephones and other items of value from the camp homes. Weapons were hardly found.

On Wednesday morning, the RSF raided the Northern Nierteti camp and conducted house-to-house searches or three continuous hours. After the search the force accused the camp residents of supporting rebels and hiding their weapons.. A number of people were beaten, and four of them sustained serious injuries.

An activist told this station from Nierteti on Friday that when the community leaders spoke out against the rough treatment of the government troops, they became so angry that they began to detain them, in order to silence them,” he said.