Renewed Border Guards raids in Kutum: ‘Six dead, wounded’

At least six people were killed or injured, and one child has been kidnapped, in a renewed raid by Sudanese paramilitary forces in a village north of Kutum on Sunday.

A force of Border Intelligence Guards members, reportedly moving in 15 vehicles and riding camels, entered Hillet Nurain Suleiman, 60 kilometres north of Kutum, on Sunday. They slaughtered Sheikh Mohamed Nur Khater (70 years) and Ismail Faki Nur.

The attackers have taken a 10-year-old child, Abdallah, with them, along with the money of the villagers and their livestock.

A witness told Radio Dabanga that three villagers sustained injuries during the raid. “This is the third attack of its kind in villages north of Kutum in less than a month, by militant herdsmen of the Abbala tribe, and Border Guards,” he claimed.

“The victims are waiting for the police to arrest them.”

Border Guards is the popular term for the Border Intelligence Brigade, which is part of the Sudanese Military Intelligence. A number of members raided villages in Kutum from September to mid-October, until the renewed attack on Sunday.

The force moved from Damrat Guba to attack the village. The source said that the Border Guards were led by El Nur El Gubba, Omda Mohamed Ali, and Mohamed Salamah.

“The villagers have handed over a list of names of the attackers to the authorities in El Fasher. They are waiting for the police to arrest them.”