Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of a senior Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) commander in South Darfur, as efforts continue to locate five other alleged participants in the attack, local Sudanese media reported.
Mohamed Bashar Noreen, 58, a prominent commander in the SLM faction led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur, was killed on October 4 when unidentified gunmen attacked an artisanal gold mining site in the West Keila area of Malam locality, near Jebel Marra.
Three sources familiar with the investigation told local Sudanese media that SLM fighters tracked the suspected attackers and arrested two armed men on October 5.
The suspects were subsequently detained in territory controlled by the movement in Jebel Marra.
According to a source within the SLM, senior movement officials held discussions with representatives of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who travelled from Nyala to Malam following the killing.
The RSF representatives reportedly denied that the detained suspects belonged to their forces, identifying them instead as members of a locally mobilised armed group.
They also pledged to help locate the remaining suspects and hand them over to the SLM for prosecution.
A second movement source said one of the detainees had allegedly confessed to participating in Noreen’s killing alongside five other armed men who escaped after the attack.
RSF personnel are reportedly participating in the search for the fugitives while coordinating with local representatives to reduce tensions following the incident.
Noreen was among the founding figures of Abdel Wahid al-Nur’s movement, which emerged during the Darfur rebellion in the early 2000s.
He held senior responsibilities across East Jebel Marra, including Malam, Keila and Kalkoli, and previously supervised the movement’s mining sector.
Earlier accounts indicated that Noreen had become involved in overseeing a newly discovered gold mining location that had attracted dozens of prospectors.
His killing prompted widespread anger among residents, with hundreds reportedly joining efforts to track down those responsible.
The SLM confirmed his death in a statement issued on October 5, initially attributing the attack to unidentified gunmen.
The motive for the killing remains unclear, and authorities have not publicly established whether the attack was connected to disputes over mining activities, personal rivalries or wider security tensions.
The incident comes amid persistent insecurity across Darfur, where armed robberies, killings and competition over economic resources continue to threaten communities already affected by Sudan’s prolonged war.
