Villagers killed after renewed North Darfur fighting

Five people were killed in a raid in a rebel-held area near Kutum that witnessed renewed fighting between paramilitary forces and armed rebels on Sunday. “They attacked the area from both sides in 150 vehicles.”

Members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked Ein Siro area, north-west of Kutum at 6am on Sunday. Five people including a child were killed, while seven others sustained injuries. Two children are among the wounded.

“The residents of Ein Siro woke up terrified by the sounds of shooting and fled toward the nearest mountains,” Abdallah Ishag told Radio Dabanga. The attackers, driving approximately 150 vehicles, stole a large number of livestock and people's property.

The Omda called this station from the top of the mountains a day after the attack occurred. “It is not easy to know the exact number of victims and the missing because people have fled in all directions. The people who have fled into the mountains, they have not had anything to eat since fleeing on Sunday.”

'From the mountain we can see the attackers who are still down there, pillaging solar panels, medical tools, and livestock.'

According to Ishag there are about 90 villages in the area, inhabited by 40,000 people. “People of all of these villages have fled to the tops and the slopes of the mountains. Their humanitarian situation is dire.

“We cannot get off the top of the mountains to fetch water and food because the RSF militia is still deployed in the area […] We are watching them from the mountains. They pillaged solar panels, medical equipment, merchandise, utensils… and loaded them into their vehicles. Sheep, goats and other cattle are gone, too.”

The Omda appealed to Unamid and humanitarian organisations to intervene to save them. “People up here are especially at risk of dying of thirst and hunger.”