Seven abductees released in Central Darfur

Seven people who were abducted during clashes following the cause of death of a girl in the Um Dukhun area, have been released.

The incidents started on Friday, following the death of a girl who was struck by lightning. She was taken to the hospital of Bindisi where doctors found that she died because her heart had stopped. They registered a certificate of 'death by natural causes', which the parents initially objected to but agreed to sign.

During the burial ceremony, the girl's family claimed that she had been raped before her death. The tension escalated and Nasreldin Mohamad Sharafeldin sustained fatal injuries. Teacher Yousif Ali Baraka was wounded.

Following the incident, seven people were abducted in Um Dukhun by tribesmen in a retaliation attack. They took the abductees to Goli and held them at Hajar Bashom for the last days. The police chief and the chief of the Salamat tribe, Mukhtar Adam Yagoub, intervened after which the seven people were released.

On Sunday, the head of a local committee told Radio Dabanga: “The police have arrested one of the defendants in the case who is now in police custody.”

He called on the relatives and the families of the abducted returnees to exercise restraint until law takes up its course and wait for the result of filed complaint. He stressed the principle of respect and coexistence among all social and cultural components.

Several abductions took place in Central Darfur in the preceding weeks. 47 passengers from lorries are reportedly still abducted. “The kidnappers have not yet disclosed their demands,” a relative of one of the victims told Radio Dabanga from Guldo last week.