Two police officers killed by gunmen in South Darfur

January 8, 2018 (NYALA) – Two police officers on Monday have been killed in gun clashes with pastoralists in Sergaila area, Tulus County, some 86 kilometres south of Nyala, South Darfur State capital.

A government official told Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity that a local resident notified the police that armed herders have infringed on his farm and threatened to kill him.

He added the police dispatched a force to the incident scene, saying the armed herders refused to obey police directives on the grounds that they belong to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“They [the armed herders] fired at the police killing the force commander and another police officer instantly,” he said

The same source pointed out that the police were unable to arrest the perpetrators, saying reinforcements moved quickly from Buram County to track down the culprits.

Last week, two elements from the government militia SRF were seriously wounded in clashes with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Otash camp, three kilometres east of Nyala.

In 2014, the presence of RSF in North Kordofan state capital of El-Obeid drew widespread condemnation from residents who accused it of spreading terror.

These forces were blamed for looting commercial markets and killing of a merchant in El-Obeid leading to massive protests across the city.

Also, in 2014 the RSF recruits in Sulait camp clashed with residents of Hattab village in Khartoum North leading to the intervention of the Sudanese army.

The RSF militia was originally mobilised by the Sudanese government to quell the insurgency that broke out in Sudan’s western region of Darfur in 2003.

Last year, the Sudanese parliament passed RSF Act which integrates the notorious militia in the Sudanese army and provides that its commander is appointed by the President of the Republic.

(ST)