- From Radio Dabanga:
Today (Tuesday), government backed militias in Kass (South Darfur) have attacked two different camps of internal displaced people (IDP). Three people were confirmed dead, two Fur-sheikhs Musa Tingil and Musa Dakka were arrested amongst 40 other residents. The Border guards set Yahya Haggar camp and the Janubia-market ablaze, while Bitari camp was partly destroyed. Radio Dabanga recorded this morning intense cross fire and provided witness reports. The Central Reserve Police from Nyala rushed this morning to calm the situation, but until noon the shootings continued. According to the residents, an uniformed policeman or soldier was found dead nearby one of the camps on Monday. It was not confirmed whether he was a member of a government backed militia or the Border Intelligent Guards. The militias started their siege of the camps this morning (Tuesday) immediately after sunrise. They entered the camps of Yahya Haggar and Bitari and also the market of Janubia for large scale looting, including burning of houses and shops. The local government could not be reached for comment at the moment. The former Janjaweed have been integrated in the Border Guards, a military unit of the Sudanese Armed Forces. It is still unclear whether the government militia involved has already been formally integrated in the structures of the Border Guards, but have received arms and dresses. The Central Reserve Police is another military unit initially meant to protect the borders of the Khartoum State. It is part of the national armed forces with headquarters near Jebel Aulia, south of Khartoum. Kass has been recently the scene of several armed clashes. Several months ago masked gunmen killed two Sudanese policemen guarding a guesthouse run by the UN World Food Programme (WFP). While tracking down the potential attackers, a third police officers was killed and two of the alleged attackers were killed in an exchange of fire. There is a large presence of UNAMID peacekeepers in Kass.
