Troops, militias sack Central Darfur town of Golo

Five people were killed and five others wounded in an attack by government militias on Golo town in Jebel Marra, Central Darfur, on Saturday.

Multiple witnesses who fled from Golo told Dabanga that a large group of Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Border Guards, and other militia troops stormed the town on Saturday afternoon. “They immediately started to plunder houses and the entire market.”

“They shot and killed Adam Hussein (70), a guard working for Golo locality, El Sadeg Younes Mohamed (38), director of the Carmel Basic School basis, Hamad Wadelfaki, trader of leather, Igbal Musa (18) and a daughter (18) of Yagoub Adam Abdelshafi, both secondary schoolgirls. One man and four women were injured,” one of the witnesses reported.

The majority of the residents of Golo fled the town to the nearby valleys and mountains.

“The attackers also took about 2,000 sheep, 600 cows, 100 camels, and 100 donkeys”, another Golo resident added. He said that the number of livestock was that large because the commander of the Golo military garrison had told villagers in the area to seek refuge in the town, which would be protected by army troops of the garrison,” the witnesses said. “Yet, it seems that the army did not expect the militiamen that soon.”

The sources explained that the militiamen withdrew to Golo after they were defeated in battles with rebel fighters in the area of Karamon, near Sur Reng.

They added that an Antonov of the Sudanese Air Force bombed the area around the town on Saturday and this morning. The explosions ignited a number of lemon plantations.