North Darfur villager kidnapped for six-year-old murder

On Monday, a group of militiamen kidnapped a 50-year old villager near Saraf Umra in North Darfur.

The coordinator of the Saraf Umra camps, Sheikh Abdelrazeg Yousef, reported to Radio Dabanga that militiamen kidnapped Saleh Sharaf in Fati, west of Saraf Umra town, and took him to the area north of Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur.

The men earlier demanded the villagers of Fati to pay blood money as compensation for the alleged murder of their comrade six years ago. They threatened to burn the village if the villagers would not pay.

“The villagers then collected the money and paid the amount out of fear, though they did not have anything to do with the killing,” Yousef explained.

“The janjaweed however, have now returned and demanded an additional SDG80,000 ($13,000) as compensation for the alleged losses when searching for their comrade. They kidnapped Saleh Sharaf to pressure the people to pay the amount.”

The sheikh added that the same militiamen are wreaking havoc in the area for years. “Apart from almost daily assaulting people in Saraf Umra, they also imposed fees under various pretexts.”

He called on the residents of Fati “not to respond to the demands of the militiamen”.