HUDO Centre PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
(15th October 2016)
THE MURDER OF UNARMED CIVILIAN AT HIS FARM IN HABILA OF SOUTH KORDUFAN/ SUDAN
On 11thOctober 2016, Mr. Alhaj Kowa was killed while he was at his farm in
Habila of South Kordufan and police’s efforts to investigate was
stopped/Interrupted by Public Defense Force (PDF). Mr. Kowa, 54 years old, from
Chad/ Nuba ethnic, was at his farm four (4) km southeast Habila on 11th October
2016 but he didn’t come back to his house by evening. Early morning his family
went to the farm looking for him, the family found him dead with two bullets on
his head and the other on his chest as well as they found the farm was
destroyed by cattle grazing. They went and reported the matter to the police.
The police went with them (family) and they started on the investigations by
following the cattle footsteps. They ended up at Faio village (9km southeast of
Habila). Before entering the village, a group of armed PDF ordered the police
officers to go back and the police obeyed their order and went back without
investigating. Faio village is occupied by nomad Arab group who are mainly
involved in PDF activities as militias. One of Habila’s dwellers commented to
HUDO that “five months earlier, the Faio’s leaders (Ahmed Gabar, Hamid
Aljonkani and Ahmed Abu-rabit) announced that Habila will be grazing land and
any cattle keeper will be free to graze their cattle anywhere yet, Habila known
as cultivation land”. HUDO call on the government of Sudan to consider the rule
of law, the security and protection of civilians and to conduct genuine
investigation about the incident and the perpetrators should be held
accountable.
END For more information please contact +256755681320 Hudo2009@gmail.com