Umm Dukhum residents fear imminent attack

Residents from Umm Dukhun city, near the Chad border in Central Darfur, claimed to fear an imminent attack by Chadian forces after a prisoner from that country was released from detention by his family and friends, they told Radio Dabanga on Friday, 30 November.    The city’s population have allegedly rushed to their homes and completely halted their daily activities in the morning of Friday as a result of the events around the prison. Sources said that a convoy of seven vehicles, belonging to the prisoner’s family and friends, stormed the headquarters of the joint Sudanese-Chadian forces to release the detainee. He is believed to belong to the Chadian opposition and was coming from Khartoum, they explained. As the suspect’s family and friends heard about his arrest, they reportedly raided the Sudanese-Chadian forces headquarters and freed the detainee. The raid, sources added, took place at 9am on Friday. By Friday evening, sources continued, Umm Dukhum’s roads were still empty as citizens were ‘scared and anticipating an imminent attack’ of Chadian troops stationed in Tissi area, located in Chad along the border with Sudan.    According to reports, the Sudanese-Chadian joint forces arrested the suspect on Thursday evening and he was being kept in a prison located about 4 kilometers north of Umm Dukhum.  Radio Dabanga file photo