Sudan: 14-Year-Old Girl Gang Raped in West Darfur, Lawlessness Across Region

9 February 2023

Kereinik / Nierteti / Zalingei / Tawila — A 14-year-old girl was gang-raped by a group of armed men in Kereinik in West Darfur on Tuesday. Sources report that the victim was confronted by four gunmen while she was returning from drawing water from a well close to her home in Dangei village in the area of Um Tajok on Tuesday afternoon.

The local source told Radio Dabanga that they took the girl with them at gunpoint to a nearby corral for livestock and proceeded "to take turns raping her until the morning".

A search posse from Dangei village followed the tracks, raided the site, and were able to detain three of the alleged rapists. They took the victim to the clinic in Um Tajok, and the suspects to a nearby police station.

The source stated that "these days security breaches are increasing in an alarming manner, and all this does not stir the conscience of any of the officials who should protect the people".

Central Darfur

In Central Darfur, Adam El Sayer (24) was shot dead, and another person was injured when a group of armed robbers fired at a passenger vehicle, four kilometres west of Nierteti on Tuesday afternoon.

A relative of the victim told Radio Dabanga that a complaint was filed at the Unified Police Department in Nierteti.

Policemen and members of a search posse managed to apprehend of the attackers.

Also in Central Darfur, a vehicle driver was injured in an armed robbery on the Zalingei-Abta road on Sunday.

North Darfur

In the area of Katur in Tawila in North Darfur, a cattle owner was killed on Tuesday.

Omda Adam Bosh told Radio Dabanga that gunmen shot the man dead and stole his cattle. He said that a military force moved from Tawila to the scene of the accident to pursue the perpetrators.

In a separate incident on Sunday, gunmen stole a herd of cows from the area south of Tawila. A resident of Tawila told Radio Dabanga that the area witnessed calm in the past days after the deployment of joint security forces, "but it seems that the situation has deteriorated again".

The deployed Joint Force for the Protection of Civilians, who were welcomed after their arrival on Tuesday, have been tasked to protect the areas south of El Fasher, including Tabit, Abu Zareiga, Tawila, Wad Abakar, and Dar El Salam.

Many expressed that the joint forces, consisting of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and former rebel combatants in the areas, should take up a permanent posting in the region, as their presence is a necessity in ensuring the provision of security and the protection of civilians from violations and security breaches that occur frequently.

South Darfur

People living in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, also complained about an increase in security chaos and robberies inside the city.

Teacher El Hadi Mohamed told Radio Dabanga that he was subjected to an armed robbery at gunpoint while he was returning home on Sunday.

Trader Osman Bashir also reported that three gunmen riding stormed his shop and robbed him of his money at gunpoint.

In a meeting on Tuesday in Nyala, Commanders of the Darfur Security Forces for the Protection of Civilians discussed the deployment of the joint forces in South Darfur as part of the implementation of the Security Arrangements protocol of the Juba Peace Agreement.

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