Herders besiege government troops in South Darfur

An element of the Central Reserve Forces was killed, and two others injured in an attack by herdsmen on a government force near Kass in South Darfur today. The herders had released their livestock by force on farmlands in the area of Doura, south of Kass town. When the farmers complained to the Commissioner of Kass locality, Ahmed Ibrahim Mohamed, he immediately formed a force of policemen, and Central Reserve Forces (known as Abu Tira) and army troops, a witness told Radio Dabanga from Kass. “The government force went to Doura, where they seized the herdsmen present with the livestock. At around noon on Tuesday, when the force was taking the captured herders and livestock to Kass, dozens more herders on camels and horses surrounded the troops and fired at them. One Abu Tira combatant was killed outright, two others were wounded.” The witness said that the “government-backed herders” were still besieging the government force at the end of the afternoon. He added that the farmlands in Doura were severely damaged. File photo: Herders in Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur (Rania Abdulrahman/Unamid)