Sudanese PM to send troops to conflict-stricken Dafur after fresh massacre

The Prime Minister of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok, on Sunday, said the government would send security forces to conflict-stricken Darfur to “protect citizens and the farming season.”

This comes after a fresh massacre of more than 60 people in the conflict-stricken region which led to a protest from locals due to lack of protection from the government.

Attackers targeted members of the local Masalit community, looting and burning houses and part of the local market, a statement said.

Around 500 armed men attacked Masteri Town, north of Beida, in Darfur on Saturday afternoon, said the Sunday statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“This was one of the latest of a series of security incidents reported over the last week that left several villages and houses burned, markets and shops looted, and infrastructure damaged,” said the statement, from the OCHA’s Khartoum office.

Following Saturday’s attack on Masteri, around 500 local people staged a protest demanding more protection from the authorities.

The force will include army and police, he said in a statement after he met a delegation of women from the region.