Politicians condemn police violence in Nyala, South Darfur

Critical reactions to the use of excessive violence in confronting peaceful demonstrations on Thursday in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, continue. After the killing of businessman Ismail Wadi and his nephew by unidentified gunmen in Nyala on Wednesday, citizens went to the streets to march against the rampant insecurity in the region. Police forces halted them by using excessive violence that led to the death of five people and dozens injured. During an interview with Radio Dabanga, the Secretary of the National Umma Party in South Darfur, Hafiz Ahmed Omar, attributed the insecurity in Nyala to the fact that the government has surpassed the duties of the police by creating militias parallel to the security services and the armed forces. He described the march in Nyala on Thursday as spontaneous and peaceful and stressed that the citizens went to the streets to demand security. The situation did not get out of control until security forces provoked the demonstrators by firing of tear gas. Omar holds the government of South Darfur state responsible for the casualties and the security forces for throwing tear gas inside Nyala hospital. The Secretary added that the solution to the problems of insecurity in South Darfur state and the city of Nyala depends on the establishment of a “national government including all political parties and rebel movements”. He demanded from the government of South Darfur state to involve all political forces in the state to develop plans for the resolution of the security problems in the region. The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum has condemned the incidents. It has issued directives to the South Darfur authorities to take measures to hold the responsible officials accountable for negligence and “failing in their duties” during the violent incidents in Nyala on Thursday, and to immediately persecute the perpetrators. Gubais Ahmed El Mustafa, the Deputy Secretary of the NCP Media Secretariat expressed in a press statement on Sunday his party’s condemnation of the incidents in Nyala, stressing that the investigations will eventually lead to justice. The parliamentary caucus of South Darfur has threatened to boycott the parliament if the government does not begin addressing the conflicts and security problems as announced by Abdelmunim Ambeddi to reporters in Khartoum on Sunday. File photo: Protesters march on the South Darfur government offices in Nyala Related: Reactions to assassination of Ismail Wadi in South Darfur (23 September 2013) South Darfur: People in Nyala ‘at the mercy of the government’ (20 September 2013) Curfew in Nyala after police shoot demonstrators in South Darfur (19 September 2013)