Violent protests and looting in Darfur

A large number of shops in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, have been damaged as a result of violence and looting yesterday. People in Nyala told Radio Dabanga that shop owners expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of police protection.

Two police vehicles were burnt and the front of the Bank of Sudan was smashed during the violence.

The governor of South Darfur, Mousa Mahdi, declared the state of emergency and a curfew in the city of Nyala, starting from Tuesday at 18.00. The curfew will last 48 hours.

Mousa Mahdi denied at a press conference yesterday that any looting had taken place or that any of the protestors had been killed or wounded by police bullets.

He accused parties he did not name of holding meetings during the past few days, planning riots and hiding behind young children. He said that authorities had been monitoring these meetings and called on students not to follow up on what he described as “the agendas of old parties”. He also said that the protestors approached the police headquarters. However, the regular armed forces took control of the situation, he stated.

According to governor Mahdi, the state security committee obtained information two days ago of the protestors plans and accused them of carrying firearms and shooting the tyres of police vehicles and added that the authorities had arrested a number of protesters.

The Nyala Resistance Committees condemned the looting and called on the state government to listen to the voice of the masses instead of following a policy of oppression.

In a statement they also demanded the police not to provoke citizens by throwing tear gas into their homes, to secure markets and shops, and to fight organised crime.

North Darfur

The North Darfur Security Committee headed by Governor Mohamed Arabi activated an emergency law to open up all national roads. The state government also announced the imposition of a curfew from 18.00 to 6.00. Schools will be closed for a period of 72 hours and gatherings in El Fasher will be forbidden.

The State Security Committee announced in a statement the opening of a comprehensive investigation into Monday’s violent events, in which more than 50 private vehicles were destroyed and two police vehicles were damaged and burned. At least six government institutions were burned and destroyed, including 13 prosecution offices and the tax affairs office.

The State Security Committee declared its categorical rejection of students being used by political parties. It accused “parties within the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC)” of fuelling protests, promising to move among the students, form steering committees and educate them in civil work.

The El Fasher Resistance Committees accused the police forces of being slow to intervene and called for people to abstain from violence and commit to peace.

Kabkabiya

Hundreds of school students demonstrated in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, yesterday, in protest against the suspension of school studies following a teachers' strike.

People from Kabkabiya told Radio Dabanga that the demonstrating students stormed buildings, smashed doors, stole computers, and burnt documents. They indicated that the police forces did not intervene to stop events despite their headquarters being adjacent to the locality building.

Teachers in Kabkabiya went on strike for two weeks due to their dissatisfaction with the formation of the teacher’s union.