Children burned to death in attack in East Jebel Marra, Darfur

A group of militiamen attacked Dobo El Jadida village in East Jebel Marra on Saturday. The next morning they continued their attacks on villages in the area. Speaking to Radio Dabanga from a neighbouring village in East Jebel Marra, a listener reported that “militiamen in four Land Cruisers and others on about 45 camels attacked Dobo El Jadida village on Saturday”. “They clearly did not come from the area. They looked quite alien, as if they came from far away,” he noted. “The attackers surrounded the village, and began igniting the houses. While the villagers tried to flee, they seized some young women and girls, and raped them.” “They also grabbed four children among the fleeing people, and threw them into the burning houses. Hawa Abakar Eisa (6), Maryam Adam Omar (5), Suleiman Haroun (4), and Mohamed Adam Ishag (3) burned to death.” They also killed three elderly, who did not manage to escape on time: Abakar Ismail Ishag (80), Saber Salah Ishag, and Adam Abdel Rahman Yahya. After the entire village was destroyed, the assailants left, taking all the livestock in the area with them. The villager added that “on Sunday morning, these militiamen continued their attacks “northwards.” Sources from Shangil Tobaya confirmed to Radio Dabanga that “a large group of militiamen in Land Cruisers and on camels attacked the area of Jebel Tara, the villages of Landa, Abu Hamra, Seira Kandarawa, and the area of the Tagali and Magali hills, north of Shangil Tobaya.” “The Janjaweed assaulted the villagers in these areas, and stole their property and livestock. They also ambushed four commercial vehicles, and robbed the passengers of their all belongings, even their shoes,” one of the sources reported. The passengers were mostly displaced from the Shangil Tobaya camps, who returned from the market in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur. File photo