An eyewitness from the Al-Muhafizeen neighborhood in Zalingei city, Central Darfur State, reported to the Darfur Victims Advocacy Organization that an armed group using a double-cabin pickup truck kidnapped the trader Abdel Salam Hassan Yaqoub, known as “Tolo,” approximately 45 years old, from in front of his home in the Al-Muhafizeen neighborhood in the city center while he was returning from the main market on the evening of Sunday, July 27, 2025.
The witness, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, described the group that kidnapped Abdel Salam as consisting of four armed individuals carrying sniper rifles, Kalashnikovs, and a G3 rifle. They were using a double-cabin pickup truck. The organization holds the de facto authority led by the Rapid Support Forces fully responsible.
Kidnapping incidents have become increasingly frequent in Zalingei. Earlier this month, in the same neighborhood, a man named Al-Tayeb Saeed was kidnapped. His family filed a report with the Rapid Support Forces police in the city regarding the disappearance of their son, but no action was taken. Instead, the kidnappers returned to demand a ransom of fifty million Sudanese pounds for the release of Al-Tayeb Saeed. It is expected that they will also demand a ransom for Abdel Salam.
The organization demands his immediate release and calls on the United Nations Security Council to protect civilians.
