Herders’ fighting nears Tabit: five wounded, two kidnapped

Bandits attacked five people and have kidnapped two of them, on the road between Tabit and Hashaba in North Darfur. Fighting between herders and farmers has caused tension in the area, which local paramilitary forces have attempted to control.

The attackers on Monday were armed herders, according to a relative of the victims. In the first incident, they opened fire and wounded three people: Ahmed Hamed, Mohamed Idris Adam, and Hamada Hamed El Duma. The same night, the bandits kidnapped Ismail Ali Hassan and Yagoub Abaker Hassan on the Tabit-Hashaba road.

The wounded have been taken to a health centre in Tabit, and then to El Fasher hospital for treatment.

The ambushes took place following the death of a herder and seven camels, and the injuring of two others, in a clash between herdsmen and farmers south of Abu. “Armed herders had entered a large number of their livestock onto the farms in Abu,” a witness told Radio Dabanga.

He reported that armed herders have gathered, some in Land Cruisers, around Tabit and other villages in Tawila locality. Most residents of Tabit have stayed in their houses in fear of attacks. One farmer told Radio Dabanga on Tuesday: “Other villagers and I have remained inside our house the whole day.”

School headmaster wounded

Local leaders and paramilitary troops have attempted to control the tension. On Tuesday, the Tabit high secondary school headmaster and a member of the Popular Defence Forces (PDF) were seriously wounded after they went to calm down the situation and identify the problem, together with police.

Headmaster El Teiyeb Adam Eisa and PDF member Hatem Yagoub Abakar have been transferred to El Fasher hospital, according to our witness.

“The situation in village around Tabit is threatening,” a farmer told Radio Dabanga, claiming that seven people have been wounded in attacks by militant herders. He called upon the African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission to intervene and stop the attacks, as well as the grazing of livestock on their farms to protect the remains of the harvest.

Robbery

Near Kassab camp in Kutum locality, eight displaced people were beaten by gunmen when they were on their way back from Mulgat on Tuesday.

The eight victims, including three women, were robbed of their money, property and mobile phones before the attackers fled.