Janjaweed Arab Militia Attacks Convoys

November 26, 2007

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has learnt that in the afternoon of Sunday November 25th a group of Janjaweed Arab militiamen ambushed a Sudanese government convoy at Kubri Al Haraz, approximately 15 kilometer from the town of Al-Geniena.  The convoy was enroute to Habeela Kejengessi to deliver salaries to the army garrison.  The Janjaweed militiamen ordered at gun point the men in the convoy to step out of their vehicles, drop their weapons and walk back to Al-Geniena.  It is reported that the Janjaweed militiamen took off with over 70 million Sudanese pounds, along with all the weapons, satellite phones and army vehicles.

The militiamen did not harm the men in the convoy.  Instead they ordered them to tell Sudanese government authorities to send their salaries, food, and other supplies. Their reason was that they have not received anything from the government for months.

Information about the November 25th ambush is received from one of the men who was in the convoy.  He spoke to one of Damanga’s field sources on condition that he remains anonymous.  According to the anonymous source, when the ambush victims arrived in Al-Geniena (on foot), they reported the incident to their army commanders. However, the men were immediately arrested and jailed.  Later, Sudanese army officials released a statement to the public in which they identified Darfurian rebels as the sole perpetrators of the ambush on the army convoy.  The statement also cleared the Janjaweed Arab militia of any involvement in the incident.

This incident shows that the Sudanese government has not only failed to supply and compensate its allies in Darfur, but is now unable to control their activities. The incident now appears to have added a new twist to the already chaotic situation in Darfur. In fact, later that same day, a truck that left Al-Geniena carrying civilians and teachers, who were on their way to Zalengy (southeast of Al-Geniena) to attend a teachers’ conference, was ambushed by a different group of the Janjaweed Arab militia. The ambush took place as the truck went past the camps at Morne, where some of the war-displaced local people are kept. At first, the Janjaweed militiamen attempted to stop the truck but the driver refused and instead started to speed away.  The militiamen fired at the truck, killing the driver and other passengers who are not yet identified. According to three eyewitnesses, Janjaweed militiamen confiscated personal belongings, including watches and cellphones and made statements in which they vowed to destroy and kill what was left before the UN Peace Keepers arrive in Darfur.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is very concerned about these recent developments.  The Coalition hopes that the UN Peace Keepers will be deployed immediately to stop these attacks which are further eroding an already chaotic situation in Darfur.