The Attacks Against Civilians Have Increased Over the Last Weekend
November, 25th 2007
Reports just received indicate that since last weekend, the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed Arab militia have escalated their attacks on and killings of civilians in the Darfur region of western Sudan. The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has received information from different sources confirming that members of the Janjaweed Arab militia have attacked and attempted to rape a group of young girls aged 15 to 18 years in the Tebarik area, approximately 5 kilometers on the outskirts of the town of Al-Geniena. The attack took place around 11:00am on Wednesday November 21st. At the time of the attack, the young girls were out on the outskirts of Al-Geniena collecting wild grass and other vegetation to sell as animal fodder in the local market. They were attacked by two Janjaweed militiamen.
The militiamen attempted to rape the young girls. But, the girls managed to run away. The men fired at the girls and seriously wounded one of them, later identified as Hanan Hamad. According to reports, Hanan was shot in the back while fleeing from her attackers. The bullet went through her upper torso and exited at her shoulder. She was taken by local people to the hospital in Al-Geniena for treatment. The reports indicate that the other girls managed to escape unharmed.
On Sunday November 25th, four men in a camouflaged military Toyota pickup truck were seen about 8:00pm in the Kerdang district (about 2 kilometers east of the town of Al-Geniena) at the home of a local man from the Massaleit tribe known as Khamis. Two of the men were in Sudanese army uniform and the other two were in plain clothes and appeared to be security police personnel. According to eyewitness reports, the men in the pickup truck informed Mr. Khamis, who once served in the artillery division of the Sudanese army, that he has been ordered to return to active military duty and that he should accompany them. The men drove away with Mr. Khamis across the Kaja valley. Mr. Khamis’ dead body was later discovered by local people among the bushes in the valley.
Though extrajudicial killings of Black African members of the Sudanese army and police force have occurred in the past, some of the eye witnesses have argued that the abduction method used in Mr. Khamis’ case is new. Despite the fact that Mr. Khamis’ family has filed formal complaints about his abduction and murder at local police and national government offices, Sudanese government authorities have yet to publicly comment on the case.
