Salaries stolen in Um Baru, North Darfur

Three gunmen reportedly stole the salaries of the staff working for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Um Baru locality, North Darfur, on Sunday.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Mohamed Minawi, independent MP for El Tina, Um Baru, and Karnoi, reported that three armed robbers driving a Land Cruiser intercepted another Land Cruiser transporting the November salaries of the Um Baru MSF personnel and carrying three people, on Sunday at about 10 am.

The MSF vehicle was on its way from a base when gunmen stopped the vehicle at gunpoint, stole the salaries, and fled. MSF requested Radio Dabanga to withhold exact information about the location because of security reasons.

According to Minawi, the robbery was meant to "discourage" the medical aid organisation from continuing its activities in the region. “The gunmen who carried out the operation are well-known to the authorities and people in the area.”

He said that MSF has been instrumental in providing health services to the people and newly displaced in Um Baru, El Tina, and even Kutum since the beginning of this year when government forces launched widespread attacks on villages in an attempt to rid the localities of rebel fighters. The MP stressed to Radio Dabanga at the time that there were no rebels present in the area.

The commissioner of Um Baru, Ali Ahmed El Taher, claimed that the stolen amount consisted of the MSF staff November salaries and contributions for the facilitation of their work, and some projects in the locality. He pledged to pursue the perpetrators and hold them accountable.