Gun battle ensues Darfur convoy attack
January 19, 2009 (EL FASHER) – The former rebel Sudan Liberation Army faction of Minni Minawi (SLA/MM) claimed to have battled bandits in North Darfur after the bandits attacked a commercial convoy.
An entire commercial convoy was hijacked near Al Majeed village on January 14, according to the SLA/MM commander in Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur, who passed the information to forces of the joint UN-African Union hybrid peacekeeping operation in Darfur (UNAMID).
Last year was the highest in terms of car-jackings in the nearly six-year history of the running Darfur conflict.
SLA/MM was the only main rebel group to reconcile with the government of Sudan at the end of peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria in 2006. The deal did not bring peace to Darfur as Minawi’s faction fragmented and other groups carried on fighting.
The former rebel group’s local commander recounted that a group of unidentified armed men fired on three trucks and one bus in the convoy, killing one of the passengers.
The remaining passengers were robbed of their possessions. One vehicle managed to drive off and the passengers notified SLA/MM, whose fighters intercepted the bandits in an exchange of fire. One bandit was killed while others escaped, according to SLA/MM.
Another car-jacking incident occurred in West Darfur outside the UNAMID camp in El Geneina. A vehicle belonging to the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) was approached by unidentified gunmen on Friday, who ordered the driver to hand over his keys. The driver complied and the gunmen drove off with his vehicle.
UNAMID was targeted in a separate incident in South Darfur, in the government garrison town of Nyala. An explosive device was thrown into a house rented by UNAMID police officers in Nyala, South Darfur on Friday, the mission’s press office reported today.
One UNAMID staff member was injured in the attack and treated at UNAMID Level 1 Hospital.
Although such attacks aimed at peacekeepers and convoys are quite common, allegedly committed by either bandits, rebels or Sudanese intelligence forces, higher-level military operations are also underway as JEM rebel forces seized the town of Muhajiriya from SLA/MM. The town is a large prize for the rebels and lies just 80 km (50 Miles) from Nyala, the South Darfur metropolis.
(ST)