Three dead as militiamen shoot at South Darfur farmers

A large group of militiamen shot three displaced farmers dead and wounded six others in Gireida locality in South Darfur on Sunday.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a farmer reported that about 50 militiamen, some of them in a Land Cruiser, and the others riding camels and horses, arrived at the farmlands near Askalaya village, about 10 kilometres west of Gireida town, on Sunday afternoon.

“They immediately began to shoot at us.” Mekiya Mohamed Yahya, her brother Yahya, and El Kheir Abaker died instantly, she said.

“El Haj Abdallah and his son Abdallah, Abaker Adam, Yahya Ibrahim, Abdallah Doudein, and El Haj Ibrahim Abdallah sustained serious bullet wounds, and were taken to the Gireida Hospital.”

The source explained that the farmers all live at the Gireida camps for the displaced. “We just returned to the area of Askalaya, our place of origin, to prepare our lands for the current agricultural season.”