: Fighting in the Western Dafur continues and is more reminiscent of the 19th than 21st century. Arab tribal militias frequently mounted on horses and camels carry out 'ethnic cleansing' in the Dafur region. Armed by the government to fight the rebels, these tribes also turn against civilian farming communities.

On December 24, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) claimed to have ambushed one of these Arab militia leaders known as Shukrsalah when his forces were in retreat, captured him, took his car and then cut off his head. A local merchant reported that the rebels drove around local villages displaying their prize, as a way of proving their claims. - Adam Geibel

Sudan map, online at:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/sudan_pol00.jpg