Gunmen attack children, threaten farms in Kutum, North Darfur

Two boys were injured when pro-government militiamen beat them near Fata Borno camp for the displaced people in Kutum locality, North Darfur, on Thursday. A group of militia members riding four motorcycles arrived outside Fata Borno camp where a group of children was playing, one of the camp’s activists informed Radio Dabanga. They started beating the children, wounding Abdallah Bashir and Amir Abakr Ibrahim,in order to provoke the displaced people of the camp, giving the militiamen a reason to attack the camp. “When their attempt failed, the militia members went to the farmers who were tending their farms near Fata Borno. They chased the farmers away saying their lands belonged to the nomads and their grazing cattle”, the activist reported. Then, the group of militiamen stole a machine used for irrigating the land and loaded it in one of their Land Cruisers mounted with a Dushka gun. Another Land Cruiser was bearing the national flag, the activist told. He accused the Sudanese government of being behind the incident and through this forcing displaced people to return to their home areas. “Khartoum is implementing the El Waha project, to resettle a group of people from outside Sudan into Kutum area.” Several displaced residents of Fata Borno camp in Kutum locality, North Darfur, were assaulted by gunmen on Sunday. Kutum has had no police for two years.Map: Fata Borno camp in Kutum Related: ‘No rule of law’ in North Darfur’s Kutum (5 February 2014)