Darfur residents complain of violence, food shortage

Residents of Gireida locality in South Darfur are complaining of killings, robbery and looting, at home and in the streets. A number of citizens told Radio Dabanga that they and their properties have become unsafe due to attacks by armed militias, not prevented by security services, the police or armed forces. They consider these attacks, without intervention from the locality, state or federal authorities, as a systematically organised policy against them, as during the last general elections in 2010 they allegedly did not vote for the ruling National Congress Party. Security services, the police, and the armed forces reportedly allow the militias “to use violence at random and abuse them without taking any action”. Sources say that the authorities often refuse to file their complaints, while at the same time, “citizens are being pursued, prosecuted, and arrested for absurd reasons”. The citizens have appealed to the UN, Unamid, and humanitarian organisations for protection. Bindisi The residents of Bindisi in Central Darfur state have complained of a scarcity of food and consumer goods and a subsequent rise in prices due to the closure of roads for security reasons. One listener told Radio Dabanga that the tribal conflict between the Misseriya and Salamat tribes “has reflected negatively on the movement of trade and citizens and has led to a rise in food prices and consumer goods”. The price of a pound of sugar, for instance, has risen to SDG10 ($2.25) and a tin of oil to SDG250 ($56). The citizens appealed to the local authorities and native administration to open the roads for traffic flow. File photo: Tim McKulka/UN Photo