Police clashes with shopping militiamen in Central Darfur

Police forces and militia members clashed in Mukjar town in Central Darfur on Friday afternoon, which caused the market shops to close.  Eyewitnesses told Radio Dabanga that citizens stayed inside their homes as police forces with Central Reserve Forces (Abu Tira) and pro-government militia members were exchanging fire in the market area. Many forces on both sides were injured. The witness saw one of the wounded policemen being taken to the hospital. The shooting was triggered by a heated discussion between police forces and elements of the militia, according to the eyewitness. “The police and Abu Tira forces were asking the militia members to take off their head scarf, and to hand over their weapons, because they were shopping in the market. “They refused to do so and then told the police that they do not belong to the government forces and do not receive orders from local forces, but from the central government.” This flared up the discussion, resulting in the shooting.File photo: Bullet casings lie on the ground near a destroyed market in east Jebel Marra (Mohamed Nueldin Abdalah / Reuters)