Darfur warlord captured after deadly clashes

KHARTOUM: One of Darfur’s most notorious militia leaders is in custody in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, following his capture by the Sudanese army, Sudan’s official news agency Suna reported.

Musa Hilal was designated by the US State Department in 2004 as one of the top Janjaweed leaders running a terror campaign against civilians in Darfur.

Hilal’s arrest follows clashes on Sunday between his Border Guards Forces (BGF) and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which left a Sudanese general and nine soldiers dead after the BGF targeted vehicles belonging to the RSF, in Mistiriyah in North Darfur. The clashes came on the heels of attempts by the Sudanese government to collect weapons from the militants.

Confirming the arrest of Hilal and three of his sons, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo accused the militia leader of being involved in a foreign conspiracy against Sudan.

Daglo said a foreign national holding advanced, modern com- munication devices was arrested alongside Hilal, which confirmed the involvement of foreign parties in attempts to destabilise Darfur.

Sudanese Minister of State Defence Ali Mohamed Salim said the situation in Mistiriyha was now calm and back to normal.

Last August, Sudanese authorities launched a disarmament campaign to eliminate illegal weapons in the conflict-affected areas in Sudan, particularly in Darfur region. However, Hilal refused to co-operate with the disarmament campaign. – ANA