Gunman open fired at field workers in Sudan; 20 dead, several wounded

A gunman in Darfur, Sudan, killed more than 20 civilians, witnesses have claimed. The incident took place after the field workers returned to their fields for the first time in years.

The victims included two women and few children. This happened when displaced farmers returned back to their fields after they finalised a deal with the local government which involved the landowners and those who care of their fields.

The incident has been confirmed by the tribal chief and witness Ibrahim Ahmad.

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While the farmers returned putting their trust in the government,"armed men came on Friday and opened fire, killing 20 people, including two women and children," Ahmad confirmed.

"Because of the violence we hadn't been back for 16 years, and we thought it was over," he said.

"The gunmen arrived on pickup trucks, some of which had machine guns on them. They surrounded us from all four sides and opened fire," he continued.

Ahmad has also said that the death toll from the open firing may rise as several of the wounded are in a critical state in the hospitals.

An anonymous survivor told AFPthat out of all the farmers who had returned to make the best use of the rainy season,14 lost their lives immediately, ansa further six died in hospital.

Darfur has been devastated since 2003 by a conflict that has killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others, according to the United Nations.