Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has received reports of a
joint attack on El Fasher by the Sudanese military and a new force of
Janjaweed militia.  According to three witnesses, numerous assailants
descended on the city around 9:00 p.m. on the evening of March 8,
2007, barraging the town with gunfire that lasted until approximately
4:00 a.m. Terrified residents were kept awake through the night while
multiple homes were attacked.  At least four civilians have been
confirmed dead so far.

When the shooting began, many residents believed the attack was being
conducted by government forces in retaliation for a recent rebel
attack on a military base located in El Fasher.  By morning, however,
it was clear that a new army of Janjaweed fighters had arrived and
spread throughout the city, joining the local Janjaweed militia and
government troops based there.  One witness, who asked to remain
unnamed, estimated the size of the new force as being between 300 and
500 fighters.  He said that the members of the new force were Arabs,
but that he did not recognize their accents or style of dress.
Another witness said that it seemed the whole city was overrun by the
new arrivals.

Among those killed were two men who lived in the Um-shidera district,
on the south side of El Fasher.  One man was described as being around
53 years old and a member of the Masseleit tribe, while the other was
a 58-year-old from the Fur tribe.  Two neighbors who witnessed these
killings heard the attackers saying that this was their land and they
would not allow the residents to stay there anymore.  The assailants
also said that they would "kill all the slaves."

In addition, a man from the Bargo tribe was killed in the central
Makaraca district, along with another man believed to be from the
Zagawa tribe, who was killed as he was closing up his shop.

Damanga's sources reported that when the relatives of one victim
reported his murder to police on the morning after the attack, they
received no response.  Another man who witnessed a killing said that
he was threatened by the police when he went to file a report.

El Fasher is a large town of about 265,000 residents, located
approximately 120 miles northeast of Nyala.  The city is the base of
operations for the African Union's peacekeeping force for Darfur, but
this has not stemmed the rising tide of violence in the area (see
reports from March 4th and 5th at http://www.damanga.org).  No African
Union troops were reported to be present during Thursday's attacks,
and witnesses said that none were seen investigating on the following
morning.