Guards, militia members kill three in Darfur

Two civilians and one policeman were killed by guards and militiamen in three separate incidents in Darfur on Wednesday. One of the incidents occurred at a mosque, right after prayers. Residents in Central Darfur complain that they endure repeated robberies by police forces.

Members of the Border Intelligence Guards shot dead a displaced man in Tendelti in East Darfur, when he was out collecting firewood close to El Neem camp in Ed Daein locality. A relative of the deceased told Dabanga Sudan that Abdel Gadir Adam Khamis was collecting firewood with a colleague in Tendelti. They were shot by three Border Guards when they returned to the camp.

“The Border Guards in military uniforms opened fire on them, killing Abdel Gadir on the spot, and seriously injuring Ishag Suleiman Dahiya,” the relative said.

A local rescue team and police tracked down the three culprits and managed to arrest them at Azla Jawazet area. “They are put in prison in Ed Dain.” He added that the relatives of the victims demanded retribution through fair and impartial court. The Border Intelligence Guards are part of the Military Intelligence.

Mosque shooting

On Wednesday, militiamen opened fire at a number of people performing the afternoon prayer at a mosque in Zamzam camp in North Darfur. They shot dead Sheikh Bashir, the Muazin of the mosque, and seriously injured another person.

A witness said that people tracked down the militiamen, who entered the city of El Fasher. Sheikh Bashir was buried at the tombs in the camp.

Policeman killed

One policeman was killed on Wednesday evening in a clash between militiamen and police in Kabkabiya, in Kutum locality. A witness said that pro-government militia members attacked El Mawashi market in North Darfur with the purpose of robbing the shops. “When the police personnel guarding the market confronted them, they opened fire on them, killed policeman Badreldin Omer Hamza, and fled.”

Police forces rob civilians

Meanwhile residents in Mukjar, Central Darfur, have complained about the repeated attacks they endure in the streets and markets by Central Reserve Forces (known as 'Abu Tira').

“Since about one month, Abu Tira have attacked civilians on public roads and inside markets,” one of the residents reported. But they also attack people at night inside their homes. “They walk around the markets during the day to see who has shops, who has money. Then they rob these persons at gunpoint during the night,” the resident explained.

He recalled two or three times during which people gathered at the street at night after hearing loud noises. “A Unamid employee, a cleaner, was attacked by Abu Tira inside her home. She shout out loud and people came to see what happened.” The same happened to a small business owner of the market.

The citizens stressed that this is not acceptable and demanded the authorities to expel the Abu Tira from Mukjar. The Abu Tira are combat-trained forces, commonly known in Darfur as ‘police forces or soldiers’.