Gunmen kill passenger on Darfur highway

August 9, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – One person was shot dead on Friday on the highway linking North Darfur state capital of El-Fasher and South Darfur state capital of Nyala.

The manager of Al-Kabashi Buses company and member of the private buses owners’ union, al-Sadiq Suleiman, told Sudan Tribune that an altercation took place between a passenger and two armed men at a checkpoint, adding that the former took out a knife and stabbed one of the them prompting the other to shoot him to death.

Suleiman further said that the armed man was seriously wounded, adding that the gunmen blew out the bus tires and passengers were stranded until late Friday night.

Last week, unidentified armed men imposed toll charges on buses travelling between Nyala and El-Fasher.

The group set up more than 40 tents on the highway linking the two cities to collect tolls amounting to 1,200 Sudanese pounds (SDG) on each bus.

The chairman of the buses owners’ union in Nyala, Ali Shomo, told Sudan Tribune that the gunmen forcibly imposed exorbitant amounts on the buses under the pretext that they would secure passengers and their belongings against looting.

He called on the governments of the two states to provide security along the road.

(ST)