♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's highlights of the news from Darfur and Sudan

♦ Four children die during cold wave in Darfur

January 10 – 2017 DERIBAT A cold wave has the western region of Sudan in its grip, resulting in the death of four children on Monday morning. Two weeks ago, malnourished children also succumbed to the cold. Speaking from Jebel Marra, a relative of one of the children reported that Dola, south of Deribat, has witnessed a severe cold wave these days. There is a shortage of food, blankets and warm shelter, amid the absence of health centres and medicines in the mountainous area, he said.

The four children who died on Monday are Mohsen Hassan Ibrahim (1 year), Yagoub Adam Abdelkarim (3), Halima Ibrahim Adam (3) and Mariam Yousif Hamid (7). Two weeks ago, three children died in Souni in East Jebel Marra. They were suffering from malnutrition and their health was worsened by the severe cold.

In addition, food security is proving even more critical in Jebel Marra than it is in the rest of Darfur, for one because farmers risk to be confronted by gunmen who let their cattle graze their crops. Aerial bombardments on villages and farmlands have forced many residents to flee to the camps for displaced people or take refuge in the mountains.
Recently Sheikhs in camps in East Jebel Marra announced that parent councils in most of the schools have delayed the start of school for pupils of basic schools for one hour in the morning, to avoid the intense cold.

♦ Nierteti probe: 'State accuses rebels but pays money to victims'

January 10 – 2017 NIERTETI The Central Darfur State Government is already compensating victims of the deadly attack in Nierteti with so-called blood money, while no perpetrators have yet been identified in the investigation. Two children were killed and at least 48 people sustained injuries when a military or armed force stormed the town on 1 January. Police stationed in the town trying to protect the residents also suffered injuries. Now, lawyers point to the contradiction in the government's statements.

The Deputy Governor of Central Darfur, accompanied by the security committee, has paid visits to the families of the victims of the attack in Nierteti, lawyers of the Darfur Bar Association said. The deputy presented the families with SDG 20,000 ($3,080) as 'a part of the blood money'. The attack on 1 January was carried out by soldiers, he confirmed, for which he holds the army responsible.

The Governor of Central Darfur, Jaafar Abdelhakam, contradicted his deputy last week when he claimed that the attack had been carried out by the rebel fighters of Abdel Wahid El Nur, but his government will financially compensate the victims. The Darfur Bar lawyers find this “a clear contradiction”.

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More highlights from Radio Dabanga:

Sudan rebels accuse army of attacking Blue Nile

January 10 – 2017 EL TADAMOON Fighting between the Sudanese military and armed opposition forces in Blue Nile state has reportedly subdued on Monday. According to the spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N)…

‘Thousands of foreigners seeking gold in North Darfur’s Jebel ‘Amer’

January 9 – 2017 EL SAREIF Large groups of foreigners are reportedly seeking for gold in the Jebel ‘Amer mine in eastern North Darfur’s El Sareif Beni Hussein locality. Last week Interior Minister Esmat Abdelrahman demanded the…

Protests against Darfur violence in Khartoum, Hanover, The Hague

January 8 – 2017 KHARTOUM / HANOVER / THE HAGUE Darfur students of various universities in Khartoum demonstrated today in protest against the recent violence against civilians in Nierteti and El Geneina in Sudan’s western region. Sudanese…

Seven killed in West Darfur attack

January 6 – 2017 EL GENEINA A gunfight between gunmen and police and security forces resulted in the death of seven people in the locality of El Geneina early Thursday morning. The incident occurred at the Jebel district near El Geneina, the capital…

Sudan Presidency: Govt, Darfur movements ‘agree on key issues’

January 5 – 2017 KHARTOUM The Sudanese government has “reached agreements on the key issues with the armed Darfuri movements in informal meetings that have recently taken place,” according to Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, Assistant…

Farmer murdered by land grabbers in Central Darfur

January 5 – 2017 GARSILA A farmer was shot dead near Garsila in Central Darfur on Wednesday when he refused to leave his farm to its ‘liberators’. A witness told Radio Dabanga that three gunmen found Ibrahim El…

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