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Prison break in Buram, South Darfur frees 60

Armed militants stormed a police station in Buram in southern Darfur two days ago, setting free 60 prisoners held at the site. Eyewitnesses said that some 20 insurgents on camels and horses ‘discreetly’ entered the police station after gathering at the town’s market at 3:00 a.m. Once inside, they kept on firing gunshots for about 25 minutes, panicking many people in the neighborhood. At least one person died during the course of events, though reports conflict as to whether he was one of the attackers or a prisoner. “By God, for sure a group of radical criminals – road robbers – came at 3:07 am and opened fire at the police and released the prisoners. There are no losses only one of the prisoners was affected and unfortunately died, while the others escaped by a designated route. Actually it was something planned. But on the side of the police there were no losses,” said one witness. Legal sources explained that most of these prisoners were set to receive the final verdict of their sentences on the day they were freed, adding these included ‘harsh’ rulings such as death or life imprisonment. They explained that in line with sharia law, criminal sentences become very predictable if victims’ families refuse to receive blood money for their murdered relatives. Judges, in these cases, mostly only hand out sentences of death or life terms.   A local politician noted that some inmates facing light criminal charges returned to the prison after the attack. Ammar Jibril Hamid Ambodi, the secretary-general of the National Umma Party (NUP) in South Darfur, said he woke up to the sounds of gunfire at the police station and found all cells empty and one of the attackers dead when he arrived. Ambodi said that what happened is “very serious” but not the first time Buram witnessed something of the kind. He blamed the state and local authorities, besides the locality’s police chief, for the release of the prisoners. “Authorities must be strong, capable and carefully understand their role towards citizens,” he said, “because security is a responsibility of the government and not of civilians.” He called upon the state government and local authorities to ensure citizens are safe in their “homes, farms and businesses.”   Last December, a group of armed men raided the headquarters of the Nyala special court for crimes in Darfur and took three defendants after shooting at the court’s police and severely beating the judge. The defendants were on trial for looting 450,000 US dollars and 45 million Sudanese pounds belonging to UNAMID, approximately three months before.

March 21, 2013 BURAM

Armed militants stormed a police station in Buram in southern Darfur two days ago, setting free 60 prisoners held at the site. Eyewitnesses said that some 20 insurgents on camels and horses ‘discreetly’ entered the police station after gathering at the town’s market at 3:00 a.m.

Once inside, they kept on firing gunshots for about 25 minutes, panicking many people in the neighborhood. At least one person died during the course of events, though reports conflict as to whether he was one of the attackers or a prisoner.

“By God, for sure a group of radical criminals – road robbers – came at 3:07 am and opened fire at the police and released the prisoners. There are no losses only one of the prisoners was affected and unfortunately died, while the others escaped by a designated route. Actually it was something planned. But on the side of the police there were no losses,” said one witness.

Legal sources explained that most of these prisoners were set to receive the final verdict of their sentences on the day they were freed, adding these included ‘harsh’ rulings such as death or life imprisonment.

They explained that in line with sharia law, criminal sentences become very predictable if victims’ families refuse to receive blood money for their murdered relatives. Judges, in these cases, mostly only hand out sentences of death or life terms.  

A local politician noted that some inmates facing light criminal charges returned to the prison after the attack. Ammar Jibril Hamid Ambodi, the secretary-general of the National Umma Party (NUP) in South Darfur, said he woke up to the sounds of gunfire at the police station and found all cells empty and one of the attackers dead when he arrived.

Ambodi said that what happened is “very serious” but not the first time Buram witnessed something of the kind. He blamed the state and local authorities, besides the locality’s police chief, for the release of the prisoners.

“Authorities must be strong, capable and carefully understand their role towards citizens,” he said, “because security is a responsibility of the government and not of civilians.”

He called upon the state government and local authorities to ensure citizens are safe in their “homes, farms and businesses.”  

Last December, a group of armed men raided the headquarters of the Nyala special court for crimes in Darfur and took three defendants after shooting at the court’s police and severely beating the judge. The defendants were on trial for looting 450,000 US dollars and 45 million Sudanese pounds belonging to UNAMID, approximately three months before.