Cases of highway robbery across Darfur

On Tuesday and Wednesday six lorries were hijacked, two lorries plundered, and a pick-up belonging to Zain Telecom was stolen. The incidents occurred in three Darfur states. The Secretary General of the East Darfur State government reported to Radio Dabanga that an “unidentified armed group” intercepted six lorries near the area of Magta in Sheiria locality in East Darfur. The commercial vehicles, belonging to the Abarsi company, came from Khartoum and were on their way to Nyala in South Darfur. The armed group took the lorries and headed northwards. In Central Darfur on Wednesday, gunmen plundered two lorries en route from Omdurman to El Geneina in West Darfur. One of the robbed passengers told Radio Dabanga that government-backed militiamen on motorcycles and others on horses and camels opened fire on the two lorries in the area of Lafat Kasara, near Tor in Central Darfur. They robbed the passengers of SDG15,717 ($2,735) and more than 40 mobile phones in addition to their belongings and goods. Gunmen in Shattai locality in South Darfur stole a double-cab pickup on Wednesday, belonging to Zain Telecom, as well as the belongings and mobile phones of two of the company’s engineers. File photo by Albert González Farran / Unamid Related:Highway robberies curtail road transport to Darfur (31 December 2013)Gunmen hijack lorry, rob passengers in South Darfur (17 December 2013)Militiamen hold-up lorry in North Darfur (12 December 2013)Lorry hijacked, driver abducted in East Darfur (8 December 2013)