Unknown armed men have attempted to storm the residence of a provincial governor in Sudan’s Darfur region but were repelled by guards, according to officials.
There were no injuries or damage in the attempted attack on West Darfur Governor Mohammed Abdalla al-Douma’s residence in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, but it underscored the heightened tensions in the restive region where a bout of inter-ethnic violence has killed more than 200 people since last week.
A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that the attackers opened fire on the heavily fortified residence, prompting the guards to return fire. The exchange lasted for more than an hour.
A statement from the governor on Wednesday said the incident sought to create “instability and chaos” in the province.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the statement, published by the state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA), did not say who the attackers were.
The governor and his staff are safe and were “unharmed”, the statement added.
