Unknown gunmen abduct 16 people in South Darfur
June 23, 2017 (NYALA) – A tribal militia on Thursday has kidnapped sixteen people at Kator area in the locality of East Jebel Marra, South Darfur state, said Native Administration chief on Friday.
The traditional leader from the Fur tribe Mohamed Hassan Abakar told Sudan Tribune that camel herder militiamen have ambushed a Land Rover vehicle and abducted all 16 passengers onboard at Kator area, saying they have been taken to an unknown destination.
He added the militia demanded to retrieve 85 heads of camel stolen by rebel elements from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nur before releasing the hostages, saying the rebels took the stolen camels up the Jebel Marra mountain.
Abakar pointed out that the abductees are unarmed civilians and have nothing to do with the stolen camels, saying the responsibility to retrieve the camels rests with the state government.
He demanded the militia to release the abductees immediately, warning against causing any harm to them.
The tribal chief further called on South Darfur government to assume its responsibilities in the liberation of the hostages.
Jebel Marra, which spans over three states including North, Central and South Darfur, was the theatre of clashes last year between the government forces and the SLM-AW.
The SLM-AW refuses to join the ongoing regional efforts to end the 14-year conflict in Darfur. Also, it didn’t join declarations of unilateral cessation of hostilities by the government and armed groups to allow aid groups to reach the affected civilians in the region.
(ST)