A total of seven Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) troops were killed in three separate “attacks by herdsmen” in South Darfur on Thursday and Friday last week. Another 14 people, including policemen and Popular Defence Forces, were injured.<\/p>\n
A \u201cnative administration committee\u201d convoy was ambushed by herdsmen on Thursday en route to Donki Abyad and Rizig to verify complaints about herders releasing livestock by force in farmlands in those areas. Two policemen and two Popular Defence Forces troops, guarding the convoy, were injured.<\/p>\n
On the same day, troops of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) were sent out to \u201crescue\u201d the ambushed convoy. However, they too were ambushed by herdsmen, who opened fire on the vehicles killing one army soldier and injuring another eight, local witnesses told Radio Dabanga.<\/p>\n
On Friday, a convoy composed of SAF troops, transporting the commissioner of Gireida locality Yahya Abdelbanat and the local deputy of the National Congress Party (NCP), Jamal Shumu, was ambushed by herders. Six SAF soldiers were shot dead, two others were injured, and a Land Cruiser was destroyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe local SAF leader, the commissioner, and the NCP deputy were lucky to escape alive\u201d, eyewitnesses told Radio Dabanga. They said that the large group \u201cgovernment-backed herdsmen\u201d were driving Land Cruisers, motorbikes, camels, and horses. They were armed with \u201cheavy weapons as Dushkas, Rocket-propelled grenades, and machine guns.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commissioner of Gireida on Saturday mobilised \u201ceveryone to confront the militiamen\u201d and ordered that all markets, schools, and government institutions in the region be closed.<\/p>\n
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