Darfur: Seven passengers injured in armed robbery

Those injured in an armed robbery, while traveling in a commercial vehicle traveling on the Zalingei-Kass road in South Darfur on Saturday evening, are being cared for at a local hospital.

Passengers reported to Radio Dabanga that a group of militiamen intercepted a commercial vehicle near Najma at 10 pm while it was travelling from Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur, to Kass.

A passenger said that the armed men dressed in militia clothing beat the 51 passengers with rifle butts and sticks. Seven people were injured, according to him.

The witness explained to Radio Dabanga that the attackers then took about SDG150,000 in cash and mobile phones from the passengers.

He explained that the injured were taken to a nearby health centre and the incident was reported to police of Kass.

In a separate incident, a student was shot dead in Nyala in South Darfur on March 14, allegedly by gunmen wearing military uniforms. His two companions were wounded.

Attacks in North Darfur

Last week, a number of militiamen attacked four young women and girls while they were collecting firewood in the area of Sananat near Damirat Masri In North Darfur and alternately raped three of them at gunpoint in one of the tents, according to one of their relatives.

On March 10, a man was abducted near Tawila in North Darfur, following three separate attacks which took place that week in which four people were wounded and two children were kidnapped. On March 1, gunmen stole hundreds of sheep and goats and abducted four herders.

End February, a series of attacks and abductions took place in Tawila locality, including a cattle raid and an assault on firewood collectors, two men on a donkey cart abducted by militiamen, and armed herders attacking women.

West Darfur 'massacre'

On March 13, gunmen killed six displaced people from Ardamata camp who were collecting straw at Arafa, east of El Geneina Airport.

In response to the reports by Radio Dabanga, prominent Sudan researcher and analyst, Prof Eric Reeves, commented on social media: “The UN and African Union would have us believe that security has been restored in West Darfur, and that justifies the complete withdrawal of Unamid, which no longer has any presence in West Darfur.”

Security Council resolution 2429(2018) has obliged Unamid to exit and move to its new headquarters in Zalingei, Central Darfur, and to distribute some assets to institutions. Unamid is set to leave all areas of Darfur by June 2020.

September 2018, following a four-day visit to Sudan, a delegation of UK parliamentarians warned that “the rapid withdrawal of Unamid, without a clear plan, puts stability and security in Darfur at risk”.