INCESSANT KILLINGS: Sudan to deploy army, police to protect citizens in Darfur

The government of Sudan has announced that it will deploy troops and police officers to conflict-stricken Darfur to “protect citizens and the farming season” after a series of attacks.

Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok made the announcement on Sunday two days after gunmen in the region killed at least 20 civilians, including children, as they returned to their fields for the first time in years.

“A joint security force will be deployed in the five states of the Darfur region to protect citizens during the farming season,” Hamdok’s office said in a statement after he met a delegation of women from the region.

READ ALSO: SUDAN: Court adjourns coup trial against former President Omar al-Bashir

Reports say Darfur has been enmeshed in a deadly conflict since 2003, when ethnic minority Black tribes took up arms against the forces of then-longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, accusing his government of marginalising the region.

The country has witnessed years of conflict since an ethnic minority uprising prompted the government to launch a scorched-earth campaign that killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.

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