Nyala, October 05 (Darfur24)
Mohammed Bashar Nouri, a prominent leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdul Wahid Nour, was killed on Sunday evening in an attack by unidentified gunmen at an artisanal mining site in the West Kila area of Al-Malm locality, South Darfur State, according to eyewitnesses and local sources.
A relative of Nouri, who requested anonymity, told Darfur24 that unidentified gunmen attacked the 58-year-old at night while he was at the mining site before fleeing toward Al-Malm town.
The motive for the attack and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
The relative said Nouri was considered the movement’s senior commander in East Jebel Marra, Al-Malm, Kila and Kalkoli, and was also responsible for its administrative and financial affairs in the areas.
He said residents went to the scene following the attack and tracked the suspected assailants to one area, but had not been able to apprehend them.
A military source in eastern Jebel Marra told Darfur24 that dozens of people had recently gathered in a valley in the area after gold was discovered there. The source said Nouri had intervened to oversee the newly established artisanal mining site.
The source said Nouri was killed at night while traveling between the eastern Jebel Marra and Al-Malm areas.
Hundreds of residents from Kila and Al-Malm reportedly searched for the attackers following the incident, amid anger over Nouri’s killing.
Nouri was among the founders of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Nour, which emerged in the early 2000s, and was one of its leaders in eastern Jebel Marra.
The movement has not issued a statement, and Darfur24 was unable to obtain comment from its official spokesperson.
Parts of Darfur, including towns and urban areas, have witnessed an increase in armed robberies, killings, violence, and other forms of insecurity.