Al-Dabba, February 16 (Darfur24)
Travelers moving from Sudan’s Northern State toward Darfur were ambushed on Sunday by armed individuals who opened fire on their vehicle on the main road linking the two regions, in what witnesses described as a targeted robbery operation.
Mohammed Adam, one of the victims, told Darfur24 that a passenger car traveling from Umm Badr in North Kordofan, carrying passengers from Atbara in River Nile State toward Khazan Jadid, was stopped by an armed group. The assailants beat and tortured the travelers, stealing money, phones, clothing, and other valuables.
He added that several passengers sustained serious injuries, including Ahmed Abdullah Al-Rashid, Hussein Adam Ali, and Saber Ahmed Taher. Adam himself suffered minor injuries and reported losing his personal belongings.
Mustafa Ibrahim, a driver working the Darfur–Northern State route, told Darfur24 that the road has become increasingly unsafe. He noted that armed groups, some reportedly affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces, intercept vehicles to prevent passengers from traveling to areas controlled by the Sudanese army.
“Travelers are forced to take long detours to avoid areas such as Umm Badr, Abu Za’imah, and Hamrat al-Sheikh, but even in the desert, vehicles are sometimes intercepted and looted,” Ibrahim said. He added that the past two months have seen dozens of such incidents, including deaths and injuries from gunfire used to force vehicles to stop.
He called on authorities to ensure freedom of movement, end the wave of armed robberies and random checkpoints, and take action against groups exploiting the ongoing chaos to target travelers and seize their property.