Situation tense after raid on Gireida camp, South Darfur

Four people were killed and others injured in an attack by militiamen on the Abyad camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Gireida, South Darfur, on Sunday.

“A group of government-backed militiamen raided the camp at about 7pm and killed Um Kalsoum Dahya Mohamed (70), Hassan Mohamed Ali, Ibrahim Idris, and Yousef Mohamed Ahmed. Many others sustained injuries,” a sheikh reported to Dabanga from the camp.

He said that at 6am today, a team formed by camp residents went out to search for the attackers. “The tracks led them to the area of Saadoun, 3 km north of Gireida, which is a stronghold of the militiamen.

“The team members demanded that the perpetrators be handed-over, but they were shot at instead. They then returned to the camp. At 8am, a group of militiamen in vehicles, and others on camels and horses attacked the camp again, as well as the neighbouring districts of El Shati and El Rahman,” the sheikh continued.

“Ali Sharfeldin and Adam Eisa Shambati were killed instantly. 17 others were wounded; among them El Rayeh Abakar Furag, Khamis Ishag Hamad, and Mohamed Hiran. The houses in both El Shati and El Rahman districts were torched.”

The sheikh added that the Commissioner of Gireida locality, Mohamed Abdelrahman Gadem, and the locality’s security forces fled to the nearby Unamid base.

Multiple sources informed Dabanga that the attacks led to the closure of government institutions and shops in Gireida this morning. Most of the people stayed within their homes.

‘Justice first’

They reported that large numbers of militiamen have gathered in the area of Tawil, east of Gireida, in Rahad Nabagiya, west of the town, and Digma, in the north.

“Governor of South Darfur state, Maj. Gen. Adam Mahmoud Jarelnabi, therefore arrived at Gireida today to contain the tense situation.

“The people told him that they first want to see justice done, stressing that the killers are to be brought to trial. The following step should be the expulsion of the militiamen from the area, and the restoration of the rule of law,” one of them said.

Most of the displaced in Abyad camp belong to the Masalit tribe. In the past years, they fled the neighbouring villages, and sought refuge close to their tribesmen living in El Shati and El Rahman district. When the militiamen returned this morning to avenge the action of the displaced team, they attacked not only the camp but also the neighbouring districts.

The security situation in Gireida and surroundings has been deteriorating for months, owing to continuous attacks by government-backed militiamen, most of whom belonging to Arab pastoralist tribes.