Unamid ‘clashes’ with tribesmen in insecure South Darfur

Peacekeepers of the Unamid reportedly killed a number of armed tribesmen in South Darfur on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Legislative Council of South Darfur state holds the state government responsible for the deteriorating security in capital city Nyala, including the rising number of killings and robberies since March, despite the entry of emergency security measures in 2014.

Six people were killed and five others injured from the Zaghawa Um-Kmelty tribe by forces of the joint African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur (Unamid), a correspondent told Sudan Tribune. The incident took place on the road between Kass and Shangita, just 86 km west of the state capital city of Nyala.

The correspondent cited Unamid patrol soldiers saying that a group of gunmen attempted to steal the vehicle they were driving, forcing them to engage with firepower. Tribesmen, however, claimed that the gunmen were after stolen cattle when they encountered the peacekeepers’ patrol. There was no official comment from Unamid or the tribe about the incident.

The speaker of the state’s legislative council, Saleh Abdel Jabar, addressed the security issue during the commemoration of ministry official Abdallah Younes Adam, who was shot outside his home in Hai El Matar district on Tuesday. He was the Director of Expenses at the South Darfur Ministry of Finance.

Jabar held the state government responsible for the security chaos in Nyala, and stressed the need for imposing the state’s rule of law. The insecurity in the state has become “a source of concern to citizens”, he said. The outlaws have resumed their criminal activities in Nyala city even after the state imposed drastic emergency measures in July 2014 to improve the security situation.