Punishment for South Sudanese refugees in East Darfur

A court in Darfur has fined six South Sudanese from Kario camp on the charges of obstructing an officer on duty and terrorism against the state during a raid on Monday. A pregnant woman who was injured during the raid awaits her trial in the hospital.

The Public Order Court in Darfur has fined six South Sudanese from Kario camp on the charges of obstructing an officer on duty and terrorism against the state during a raid on Monday. A pregnant woman who was injured during the raid awaits her trial in the hospital.

The court in Ed Daein, the capital of East Darfur, sentenced a camp leader and five refugees to three months in prison and to paying a fine of SDG5,000 ($812.70) on Thursday.

Camp leader Margo Ana Loyd (Agok), Garang Ashok, Alot Bak, Melik Anok, Marik Deng, and Joseph Niuk were arrested by a paramilitary force in Kario, a new camp for South Sudanese refugees, on Monday.

The court acquitted the trials of camp leader Ibrahim Awil and Rebecca Garang, while Alok Dud Abuk (Kuak), a pregnant woman activist, remains in the hospital awaiting her trial. Abuk was beaten by members of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police (popularly known as Abu Tira).

The Central Reserve Police raided the camp on Monday, wounding a number of refugees and leaders in the process. A witness claimed that the paramilitaries apparently sought illegal liquor-makers among the refugees from South Sudan in Kario.