Sheikh killed by gunmen in N Darfur

An armed group killed an elderly sheikh in the market of Jaaour, Dar-el-Salaam locality in North Darfur on Tuesday September 25. A relative of the sheikh told Radio Dabanga that a local pro-government militia, led by omda Mahdi Mohamed Hassan, raided Jaaour market at about three o’clock in the afternoon. In addition to looting, the militia engaged in beating a number of civilians. It was said that the gunmen selected their victims based on their ethnical backgrounds. The relative explained that the militia leader, omda Mahdi Mohamed Hassan, beat and tortured the elderly sheikh, Taher Khamees who is over 70 years of age, and tied him to the back of the vehicle dragging him along until he died from his injuries. Residents denounce horrific sceneA witness told Radio Dabanga that the area’s residents denounced the horrific scene, for which they hold the militia leader responsible. The sheikh’s body was taken to the morgue of el-Fasher hospital. A report on the case was registered, one of the relatives added to Radio Dabanga from El-Fasher. On the other hand, witnesses confirmed that all crimes committed southeast of El-Fasher in the past period, in particular in the regions Sag el-Na’am and Abudeek, were committed by militias led by omda Mahdi Mohamed Hassan. The witnesses noted that even though these crimes, carried out by local militias, were committed under the watchful eye of the local and state authorities, they did not engage in any attempts to end the series of violent crimes in the region.