One killed in clashes between police and gunmen in South Darfur

April 17, 2015 (NYALA) – One person was killed by a stray bullet during clashes between police and unidentified armed groups in al-Jeer neighbourhood, west of South Darfur state capital Nyala.

An engineer at the Nyala electricity corporation was also injured when he refused to abandon his vehicle to another armed group in Karari neighbourhood, south of Nyala.

The spokesperson for South Darfur state, Abdel-Mutalab Ali Idriss, told Sudan Tribune on Friday that he is waiting to be briefed by the security committee on the incidents.

Mohamed Kabashi, a relative of the victim, said an armed group was robbing bystanders in al-Jeer neighbourhood, at the time of the incident.

The victim, named as Marwa Ali Khater, was killed by a stray bullet during clashes between police and the gunmen.

Kabashi said residents of Al-Jeer neighbourhood were subject to continuous robbery incidents during the period between Maghrib (sunset) prayer and Isha (evening) prayer, saying lawlessness had become an increasing concern despite the presence of security forces.

Last week, unidentified gunmen killed a merchant in his home in Sham Al-Nassem neighbourhood in Nyala.

In a separate incident earlier this month, another armed group carjacked a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) vehicle in the centre of Nyala before it was later recovered by security forces.

In a bid to curb criminal activities, state authorities declared an indefinite emergency situation in South Darfur state in July 2014, imposing a daily curfew from 7pm to 7am in Nyala.

(ST)