Traders baffled as stalls cleared from market in Mellit, North Darfur

Security forces, policemen, and elements of the paramilitary Border Guards removed more than 100 shops and stalls from the Omdurman market in Mellit, North Darfur, last week. They did not provide a reason other than having been ordered by the Mellit locality commissioner to do so.

One of the merchants of the market to the west of the Grand Market of Mellit, told Dabanga that the victims raised a memorandum to the locality’s commissioner. In the memo, the market vendors strongly condemn the removal of the shops without previous notice or without any warning.

“We demanded that the commissioner find an alternative location for the shops and stalls, or pay compensations for our losses. We have not received a reply so far.”

He urged the commissioner to handle their case, “because we rely on our shops to maintain our families”.