On the evening of Monday, June 23, 2025, at approximately 5:00 PM, Mr. Habib Abkar, a 35-year-old civilian and graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at the University of Zalingei (10th cohort, majoring in Management), was shot and robbed by armed assailants near the Mournei Bridge, a key crossing between Central and West Darfur States. This targeted attack reflects a growing trend of violent assaults against civilians amid a severe deterioration in security across the Darfur region. 

Mr. Habib Abkar was shot in both legs by two armed assailants riding a motorcycle. The attackers, dressed in military uniforms, are believed by multiple eyewitnesses to be members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). During the assault, the attackers robbed Mr. Habib of a sum of money he was carrying in a traditional cloth bag known locally as a “Shikara.” 

Following the assault, the perpetrators fled in the direction of West Darfur. Eyewitnesses told the Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR) that the assailants were from local Arab communities. Notably, no local security forces or authorities responded to the incident, and the area remains under the control of armed actors. 

 Medical Response: The victim was transported to Mournei Hospital in West Darfur State where he received emergency medical treatment for his injuries. 

This crime occurred amid a dangerous breakdown in security in Central and West Darfur, particularly in Zalingei, El Geneina, and Mournei, which have witnessed repeated and systematic attacks since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023. Credible Documentation from the field has recorded a wide range of serious human right violations in these areas include Widespread looting of civilian property, Massacres and killings of civilians, and Forced displacement, sexual violence, and other grave abuses. 

The continued disregard for the lives of civilians in Darfur deepens the humanitarian catastrophe and reinforces a culture of impunity. Darfur is not a free zone for unchecked violence. International silence in the face of these ongoing crimes only prolongs the suffering of innocent civilians.