Violence in Central Darfur: Five people killed, two injured, police station torched

The governor of Central Darfur announced the arrest of seven people accused of robbing the arms store and torching the police station of Azum locality last week. He said that five people were killed in clashes in Kouri. Yet, he denied attacks on displaced people in the area of Turr.

Governor Maj Gen Suleiman El Amin told Radio Dabanga on Thursday that a group of armed men attacked the locality’s police station in Sullu, near the Ronga Tas camp for the displaced, last Friday.

They stole two vehicles and 109 weapons of which nine weapons belong to the police, and 100 were collected from the militiamen, he said.

He considered the attack a regular criminal crime. “Earlier last week, a gunman shot another man dead, whereupon the police arrested the perpetrator,” he said.

“However, relatives of the victim, those with an agenda, demanded immediate punishment and retribution. They moved to police station, and threw stones at their vehicles. They then raided the arms store, and torched the police station.”

The governor attributed the proliferation of weapons in Central Darfur to the presence of rebel combatants in the state. “There are areas we cannot reach as they are under the control of armed movements.”

He hopes security and stability will return to the region after a new disarmament campaign following a comprehensive peace agreement with the various rebel groups in the country.

Earlier this week, the Central Darfur government ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the incident of last Friday. It further prohibited the carrying of firearms by non-military personnel in the state. Violators will be punished with six-month imprisonment and a fine of SDG 10,000 ($ 181*).

Herders, displaced attacked

The governor further reported the killing of five people in a clash between herders and a group of armed robbers at in the area of Kouri, north of Nierteti, on Tuesday. A military force was sent from Zalingei to contain the situation.

The governor denied any accidents in the area of Turr.

Yesterday, a displaced man in Turr reported to Radio Dabanga that two secondary school students were shot by armed men near Turr on Wednesday.

“A group of gunmen riding on horses, raided a number of homes of displaced people in Turr on Wednesday evening and stole five donkeys,” he said. “Each time they entered a house, they fired around them. Two secondary school students sustained injuries. One of them had to be taken to Nyala for treatment, while the other was transferred to the Health Insurance Centre of Nierteti.”

* As effective foreign exchange rates can vary in Sudan, Radio Dabanga bases all SDG currency conversions on the daily US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS). USD 1 = SDG 55.14 at the time of publishing this article.

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