Two farmers killed, one injured in Central Darfur

Two farmers were shot dead, and another injured, in an attack by herders in Wadi Kebe, 3 kilometres north of Nierteti, in Central Darfur, on Thursday. Police shot live ammunition at students rioting in Zalingei, causing a number of people to be injured.

Adam Okar told Radio Dabanga that four armed herders shot Ibrahim Eisa and Ammar Abdelmumin on Thursday morning at Eisa’s farm in Wadi Kebe. They were killed instantly. Khadija Ahmed, the wife of Eisa, was transferred to Nierteti Hospital with serious injuries.

The Central Darfur state government said in a statement yesterday that security forces arrived at the scene of the attack after it took place in order to pursue the perpetrators who fled.

They announced that an extra joint (para)military force will be deployed in order to protect citizens and their property, ensure the success of the agricultural season, disarm militiamen and citizens, and impose the Rule of Law in Nierteti locality.

Until conditions stabilise throughout the state more measures will be taken to maintain security in Nierteti locality, ensuring protection of citizens and prosecution of all those who carry out criminal activities, according to the state government.

Students riot

On the same day, 28 students were injured following riots in front of the customs police office, according to Resistance Committees Coordination in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur. The students were due to sit examinations for the Sudanese diploma.

The state government said in a statement that students of the Leadership Secondary School and the Health Insurance School rioted and threw stones at the customs police, which caused the police to fire tear gas and bullets. 12 policemen and students sustained minor wounds and were treated at the Zalingei Hospital.

Representatives of the Resistance Committees Coordination in Zalingei have condemned the police crackdown on students.

Earlier this month, two people were killed and four others wounded, after the police used live ammunition to disperse a protest against insecurity in Nierteti in Central Darfur. They were protesting against the killing of a young man and a girl by gunmen near the town that morning.

Peace agreement

Hundreds of people in the Hamidiya and Tur Kalami camps for the displaced near the state capital Zalingei in Central Darfur demonstrated against the Juba peace agreement on September 6.

The demonstrators said that the displaced are not represented in the agreement. They support the head of the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW), Abdelwahid El Nur, who adheres to his position that he will only enter peace talks after security and stability have been restored in Darfur.

On September 16, Yagoub Abdallah, head of the the Darfur Displaced and Refugees General Coordination told Radio Dabanga that they have started to consult the people in the camps about the proposal of SLM-AW rebel leader to hold an internal dialogue on the peace process.

“The voice of the displaced will only become clear until we all meet as Sudanese, including representatives of displaced people and refugees in a place to be agreed on, in order to answer this question, and participate in drafting the country's constitution accordingly,” Abdallah said.

UNAMID exit

Sudanese activists have warned that people in Darfur will not have adequate physical protection after the exit of UNAMID. 98 signatories of the petition dated May 4 address two letters Hamdok sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier this year, in which he requested the UN Security Council to establish a Chapter VI Special Political Mission/Peace Support Operation to assist in the peace process and help Sudan to mobilise international financial assistance.

In both letters, the issue of physical protection of civilians was not clearly addressed, the activists say.  

Radio Dabanga’s editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about political developments to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan. Support Radio Dabanga for as little as €2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.