Three shot dead at funeral in West Darfur capital

This morning security forces in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur, fired on a group of people carrying the bodies of six villagers killed on Sunday to the cemetery. Three mourners were fatally hit. The situation in the town remains tense. Militiamen robbed people in the suburbs of the town.

Three mourners were fatally hit, among them a 13-year-old school boy. Seven others were injured, including a medical doctor and the omda of Mouli village, multiple witnesses told Radio Dabanga.

The death toll of villagers and demonstrators on Sunday and today reached nine. Four of them were shot dead by government forces in El Geneina on Sunday and this (Monday) morning.

On Sunday, two villagers were killed in an attack by militiamen on Mouli village, south of El Geneina. Three villagers as well as three militiamen were killed on the Mouli-El Geneina road.

Because of the heavy presence of police, security, and army troops and the tense situation, most of the residents West Darfur capital remained at home today. The town's grand market stayed closed for a second day.

Meanwhile, militiamen wrought havoc in the suburbs and robbed the residents of their belongings, and also stole a number of motorcycles, the witnesses reported.

Killed

The father of Adam Mohamed Sharif, the school boy who was killed this morning, told Radio Dabanga that his son was walking along the mourners on their way to the cemetery when military troops shot at them. “Sharif was hit in his abdomen and died almost instantly.”

“Every day, Khartoum affirms its unwillingness to restore law and order in the country, as its language consists solely of beatings and bullets.”

On Sunday, Mubarak Mohamed Yagoub was among the residents of El Geneina who joined the people of Mouli village who protested against the rampant insecurity in the area.

His brother affirmed to Radio Dabanga today that Yagoub was killed by security troops. “The police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. The security troops used live bullets, and shot dead my brother. I witnessed it myself,” he said, contradicting the words of the West Darfur governor who said that no protester was killed.

The source further reported that the situation in El Geneina and surroundings is still tense.

“Security and army troops are firing at any group of people gathering together. For this reason we set up the mourning reception inside the house instead of in front of it, in fear for the consequences.”

Responses

The Higher Security Committee in Khartoum held a meeting in the Presidential Palace on Monday, chaired by second Vice-President Abdelrahman Mohamed Hasabo.

After the meeting, Director-General of Police Hashim Osman told the press in Khartoum that necessary arrangements have been taken to contain the situation. Minister of Justice Awad El Hassan El Nur announced the formation of a commission of inquiry this afternoon, to investigate the incidents in West Darfur.

The commission will be headed by the Advisor-General of the Ministry, Babakar Abdelatif Ali, and will include, apart from a number of senior advisers, representatives of the Ministries of Defence and Interior Affairs, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), and the Supreme Council for Decentralised Governance.

West Darfur Governor Khalil Abdallah also decided to form a committee to investigate the events today.

Unamid

The UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur (Unamid) issued a press statement today in which it expressed its concerns about “the continued tension in El Geneina town and around Mouli village, 15 kilometres south of El Geneina, West Darfur”.

“The Mission has been receiving reports of continuous unrest and sporadic firing across El Geneina and in Mouli with an undetermined number of casualties,” the statement reads.

“Unamid emphasises the importance of restraint by all parties and stands ready to assist the state authorities as well as the Darfuri people in their efforts to arrive at a peaceful resolution of the situation.”

Civil society

Many members of the Sudanese civil society denounced the killing of the protesters and mourners. Lawyer Mohamed Abdallah El Doma, chairman of the Darfur Bar Association, said that the attacks on the villagers who sought refuge in the government building amount to “war crimes”.

El Doma told Radio Dabanga today that he was shocked by the behaviour of the West Darfur Governor who “confronted civilians with live bullets.

“Humanity and chivalry are entirely absent when a man kills someone who came to him in search of security,” he commented.

Dr Farouk Mohamed Ibrahim, coordinator of the Sudanese Organisation for Defending Rights and Freedoms stressed the need to hold the perpetrators accountable and bring them to trial.

“Every day, Khartoum affirms its unwillingness to restore law and order in the country, as its language consists solely of beatings and bullets.”

In October 2015, people in Mouli were also attacked by militiamen when they accused villagers of killing one of their number.