Sudan-Chad forces create panic; water pump stolen in North Darfur’s Kabkabiya

The citizens of Kabkabiya locality in North Darfur are living in a state of severe panic and fear of the joint Sudanese-Chadian forces roaming the area since Friday. On Saturday, militiamen robbed Um Laouta village, near Kabkabiya town, of its water pump. Residents of Kabkabiya reported to Radio Dabanga that since Friday joint Sudanese-Chadian forces have arrived in the locality. Their continuous moving around in more than 200 heavily armed vehicles has led to the partial closure of the market in Kabkabiya town, and has been hindering most of the population in their daily jobs, such as fetching water and collecting firewood and straw. The residents demanded from the local authorities to “immediately expel those forces from the locality”. Robbers in military uniforms On Saturday, a group of 20 gunmen in military uniforms in two Land Cruisers mounted with Dushka machine guns stole the water pump of Um Laouta village at Wadi Aramba, about 12km north of Kabkabiya town, a villager told Radio Dabanga. The militiamen threatened to murder three farmers who were watering their farmlands in Wadi Aramba before they unscrewed and took the water pump. They left, heading towards Gharra El Zawya in El Sareif locality. The villager said that the crime was reported to the police and Unamid, “but they did not track down the perpetrators”. The villagers demanded from the local authorities to protect the farmers and deter the militiamen. File photo: Militiaman in uniform (Andrew Carter, 2008) Related:Ten women injured in South Darfur armed assault (30 December 2013)Two women raped in North Darfur (24 December 2013)Militiamen in uniform rob camp resident in South Darfur (8 December 2013)Farmers call on Sudan-Chad forces ‘not to support herdsmen’ (24 November 2013)