Judges pulled out of four localities in South Darfur due to volatile security

May 3, 2015 (NYALA) – The judiciary in South Darfur state has issued directives to pull judges out of four localities fearing for their lives following recent clashes between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Reliable source told Sudan Tribune that the volatile security situation in the state prevents the judiciary from carrying out its work, pointing the state’s chief justice ordered pulling out of judges from the localities of Tulus, Buram, Giraida and Ed el-Firsan due to deteriorating security situation.

He added that the four judges will perform their duties from South Darfur’s capital, Nyala until the security situation returns to normal in their localities.

Last Sunday, fierce clashes took place between the government forces and the JEM in the al-Nikhara and Gouz Dango areas in the southern parts of the state.

The source added the judiciary would not risk lives of judges in such a dangerous situation, pointing to the need for restoring security in order to enable the judiciary to perform its functions.

Last March, Sudan’s chief justice, Hayder Ahmed Dafa’alla, and the justice minister, Mohamed Bushara Dousa, inaugurated several projects Nyala and appointed additional counsellors, prosecutors and judges within the framework of a campaign for promoting juridical work in the state.

An armed militia broke into the premises of the Darfur crimes special tribunal in central Nyala last year while a trial was in session and freed one of the accused in an armed robbery case.

At the time, the special tribunal was forced to transfer its work to the capital, Khartoum.

South Darfur state has witnessed a near total security breakdown in recent months with recurrent incidents of looting, banditry and murder including from pro-government militias.

Last July, the state government declared an indefinite emergency situation, including a curfew from 7pm to 7am (local time) in Nyala.

(ST)