Darfur tribunal sentences three carjackers to ten years in prison

January 26, 2016 (EL-FASHER) – Darfur Special Criminal Court Tuesday has sentenced three individuals to a decade-long prison term on charges of armed robbery in North Darfur state capital, El-Fasher.

The court ruling also included the confiscation of the suspects’ weapons in accordance with the Sudanese criminal code and the arms and ammunition act.

A reporter who attended the court session told Sudan Tribune that journalists left the courtroom after a police officer prevented the director of the official news agency’s (SUNA) office in North Darfur from taking pictures, saying they attended the session upon an official invitation from the information office of the court.

Sudan’s western region of Darfur has been beset by violence since 2003 after rebels began an armed insurgency against Khartoum accusing the central government of supporting land grabbing by Arab tribes and neglecting development.

According to the UN, 200,000 people have been killed in the conflict, and 2, 5 million chased from their homes.

Darfur Special Criminal Court was first set-up by the Sudanese government in 2005 to adjudicate cases of crimes in the western region. However, the court has to date failed to bring charges against any Sudanese official.

(ST)