Vigil in Khartoum against violence in South Darfur

People from South Darfur living in Khartoum organised a vigil in front of the offices of the Council of Ministers yesterday, protesting against last week’s violence in the Kass area.

The protestors handed a memorandum to the office of the Prime Minister, demanding security, protection of the agricultural season, disarmament of the gunmen in the region, justice for the displaced, and the release of all “political prisoners” in Kass and the rest of the country.

The Darfur Displaced and Refugees General Coordination reported that 11 people have been arrested in Kass in connection with the recent attacks on villages in Kass and Shattaya localities that led to the displacement of thousands of people. Coordinator Yagoub Abdallah said in a press statement that the displaced hold the governor of South Darfur, Mousa Mahdi, responsible for the safety of the people living in Kass and Shattaya.

Abdallah lauded the joint UN-AU Mission in Darfur (Unamid) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for providing security and services to the thousands of newly displaced in Kass.

Nyala

In Nyala, capital of South Darfur, hundreds of Fallata launched a sit-in in protest against arrests of their fellow tribesmen carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the past 10 days.

At least 35 residents of villages in the area of Saadoun have been held without any legal justification, Adam El Nimeir told Radio Dabanga.

He said that they started their sit-in on Saturday “to uncover the scheme against our villages, pastures, and farms, that aims to forcibly displace us and put us in prisons”.

The protesters demand the release of all Fallata who were detained in Saadoun, the immediate return of the displaced from the area, and replacement of the RSF by police forces.

Last week, the Fallata and Rizeigat tribes signed a reconciliation document in South Darfur.

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