Dar Salam massacre
| Dar Salam massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Salamati Civil War | |
| Location | Dar Salam, Salamat |
| Date | September 3, 1996-September 4, 1996 10:30 pm - 5:00 am (UTC-01:00) |
| Target | Innocents |
| Deaths | 1,721 |
| Perpetrators | Armed Islamic Movement (AIM) |
| Motive | Islamic fundamentalism |
The Dar Salam massacre was one of the deadliest massacres of the Salamati Civil War. It took place in the night of September 3 to September 4 1996 in the town of Dar Salam, 10 km east of Dar Al Hamma. 1,721 of the 72,443 inhabitants of Dar Salam were killed in the massacre.
Course of the massacre
In the evening of September 3 1996, three dozens of pickups entered in Dar Salam from the eastern road. These pickups were transporting terrorists, with black clothes and with AK-47s and knives. The first gunshots were heard at 10:30 pm, marking the beginning of the massacre. The terrorists carefully checked every house, and killed everyone inside. Some women are kidnapped and some old persons were shot in the leg. The terrorists checked the northern half of the city much later, at about 2 am, and many residents escaped into the nearby city of Al Sandji, 1,5 km north-east of Dar Salam. Terrorists were posted around the village so no one to prevent people from escaping but most terrorists were killed by the military, also posted around the village.
The terrorists left the city at dawn and engaged in a clash with the military, killing 53 terrorists out of ~250 and killing 40 soldiers. 7 women were freed from the terrorists.
Consequences
The media reported a massacre for the first time, but changed the number of deaths to 500 instead of 1,721. The public reacted by acquiring more and more guns incase of a massacre. Another massacre took place in Diyamu the day after.