Sudan’s militia besieges newly displaced in East Jebel Marra, North Darfur

About three thousand people, who fled militia attacks on the areas of Dubo El Omda, El Madrasa and Mashrou Abu Zeid in East Jebel Marra two months ago, are terrorised by members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stationed in the area.

In North Darfur’s Tawila and Dar El Salam localities, militiamen assaulted a number of displaced firewood collectors, and robbed villagers of their livestock on Monday.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a villager from East Jebel Marra, hiding in the mountains west of Katur, described the situation as “disastrous, as we are besieged by the militiamen. They accuse us of supporting the rebels, and repeatedly threatened to kill us if we do not return to our villages.”

“We are stuck, and cannot leave the mountains anymore to search for water and food, or for traditional medicines, as the RSF are surrounding the place, he said.

The villager appealed via Radio Dabanga to “anyone, to intervene and save us from the grip of these militiamen”.

Firewood

Omda Mukhtar Bosh, coordinator of the Tawila camps for the displaced, told Radio Dabanga that a group of government-backed militiamen assaulted a number of people of the Dali and Argo camps on Monday.

“The displaced were collecting straw and firewood not far from the camps, when they were attacked,” he reported. “The assailants severely beat them, before robbing them of their money. They also took three donkeys from Abdallah Ibrahim Ahmed, and two goats from Abdelmajid Abdelaziz Gamar. Gamar’s horse was killed.”

Livestock

In Abu Zerega, Dar El Salam locality, a group of gunmen and RSF militiamen stole 70 camels on Monday.

“They took them into the direction of Tabit, in Tawila locality,” one of the camel owners reported to Radio Dabanga.

He said that the “armed robbery” was not the first incident in the area. “These RSF Janjaweed are continuously robbing livestock from the people in the area.”