A group of Ziyadiya belonging to the Border Guards, a Para-military militia operating in Darfur on the side of the government army, rebelled against the army and were surrounded in the Ziyadiya residential area in the north of Al-Fasher town. There was a heavy exchange of fire using small arms and heavy artillery. The rebelling militia managed to escape out of town towards the North, heading for Mellit,, which is a centre of the Ziyadiya tribe. On their way they clashed with a unit of the Popular Defence Force (PDF), a Para-military militia based in Umm Marahek. The PDF members in this area are from the Berti tribe. The rebelling forces from the Border Guards killed six soldiers from the PDF and injured 16 who were taken to Al-Fasher. The rebelling forces then headed towards Mellit.
The main cause of the rebellion is attributed to a problem between the Governor, who is from Berti tribe, and the Arab tribe’s at large living in the state of North Darfur. A similar incident occurred in 2012 in Hashaba, north-west of Al-Fasher caused by a disagreement between the Ziyadiya and the Governor over a gold mine in that area.
RECOMMENDATION
Sudanese paramilitary forces allied to the Government are often fighting between themselves.
SUDO (UK) calls on the government of Sudan to disband the militia forces that are constantly causing wars in Darfur. Tribally-based militias encourage tribalism and all should be disbanded.