Sudan govt. Jebel Marra offensive enters sixth day
On Wednesday morning, joint army and militia forces shot 42 people dead in Golo in Mount Marra.
“Only the very elderly and supporters of the ruling National Congress Party remain,” an eyewitness reported.
The government offensive against the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW) in Jebel Marra in Central Darfur entered its sixth day today.
On Wednesday morning, joint army and militia forces shot 42 people dead in Golo in Mount Marra.
Among the dead are the muezzin of the mosque of Golo, El Haj Adam El Tahir, Abdelsalam Elias, Saadiya Yahya, Yahya Abu Tawila, Abdelrahman Salama, and Faki Salama, an eyewitness reported. “Only the very elderly and supporters of the ruling National Congress Party remain.”
He and others informed Radio Dabanga that by Wednesday evening the town became almost deserted. “The people all fled because of the shooting at civilians on the streets, and in a number of cases, in their homes.”
The fighting between the government forces and SLM-AW combatants continued in various places, including the rebel stronghold in the north-western part of Jebel Marra.
The sources said that an Antonov of the Sudanese Air Force dropped barrel bombs “indiscriminately, even after sunset, on Jebel Marra, in particular on the north-western part and the area east of Golo. We saw flames and smoke rising from El Hilla El Jadeeda, east of Golo.”
All the roads leading to Mount Marra are still closed, “which aggravates the suffering of the people both on and at the foot of the mountain,” a resident of Kass said.
He complained about “a sudden rise in the prices of goods, in particular the prices of vegetables coming from Jebel Marra”.
Fighting
A commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) strongly refuted a report by the rebel SLM-AW that more than 200 government troops were killed in Jebel Marra in the battles that started on Friday.
He told Radio Dabanga from Touri, west of Nierteti, today that the joint army-militia forces occupied a number of SLM bases in Jebel Marra.
He strongly denied targeting civilians in the operation.
In Kabkabiya, North Darfur, four retreating RSF troops were injured when a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) detonated this morning. They were immediately taken to a hospital in the North Darfur capital of El Fasher, a listener told Radio Dabanga from Kabkabiya.
On Monday, more than 70 wounded RSF militiamen arrived to Kabkabiya. They were transferred to El Fasher in two helicopters.
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