Protests over violence in South Darfur

People from El Salam locality, South Darfur, organised a vigil at the secretariat of the state government in Nyala yesterday to protest an attack on their village Gassat Enjemet in Wadi Bulbul last week. In Bielel locality, the authorities detained six members of local Resistance Committees after their sit-in was broken up on Wednesday.

Three people were killed and others were injured during the attack. Gassat Enjemet was plundered and a large number of people fled the village and other neighbouring villages.

During the vigil, the protesters carried the body of one of the victims who died of his wounds on Wednesday. They also delivered a memorandum to the South Darfur wali (governor) that demanded the arrest of the perpetrators, the perpetrators being brought to justice, and the imposition of the Rule of Law.

In his address to the protesters, South Darfur Wali Mousa Mahdi ordered the arrest of the criminals who were behind the attack in Wadi Bulbul. He emphasised that the public should inform the police and security committee in the area about any suspects in the attacks and he appealed to the now-displaced villagers to not move from the area.

South Darfur violence

South Darfur has a history of tribal tensions and violent attacks on farmers and villagers. Earlier this month, one person was killed and five others were injured in an attack on Kalma camp. Earlier this year, a conflict between Rizeigat and Fallata herders in South Darfur cost the lives of at least 70 people from both tribes.

In December, militant Fallata herders attacked Masalit neighbourhoods in Gireida after a dispute at a water well, causing the deaths of 13 Masalit and the injuring of 34 others. The Masalit are a sedentary farmer tribe.

Last month, the General Coordination of Camps for the Displaced and Refugees in South Darfur demanded the dismissal of South Darfur wali Mousa Mahdi. The displaced accused him of supplying tribal groups with weapons that are used to attack camps for the displaced, most notably Kalma camp.

Bielel sit-in

In Bielel locality, South Darfur, the authorities detained six members of local Resistance Committees yesterday, after their sit-in was broken up on Wednesday. A joint force from the army and police force violently dispersed the sit-in, using teargas against the protesters while firing live ammunition into the air.

Sources in Bielel indicated that an elderly woman was killed and eight other people were injured during the dispersal of the sit-in by authorities. The police violence triggered many protests in the locality.

The Resistance Committees of Bielel organised a sit-in on Sunday to demand better civil services and health services, employment opportunities, and a review of land issues. The sit-in lasted for four days.