Border guards in Hirmand assaulted three Sukhtbars and confiscated their fuel.
According to Kolbarnews, citing Balochistan sources, on the evening of Thursday, October 7, 2024, border guards in the village of Doost Mohammad, Hirmand County, fired shots and seized fuel containers from three Sukhtbars. After beating the Sukhtbars, the military forces released them in exchange for bribes, while keeping the confiscated fuel for themselves.
The identities of the three Sukhtbars, who are reportedly residents of Doost Mohammad in Hirmand, remain unknown. Residents of Doost Mohammad have expressed deep dissatisfaction and anger over the illegal actions and repeated harassment by these border guards, most of whom are from Zabol and Mashhad.
Sukhtbari is considered an unconventional and hazardous job that many Baluch people in Baluchistan are forced into due to the lack of suitable and stable employment. Accidents, vehicle rollovers, and direct shootings by military and security forces are some of the dangers that Sukhtbars face. According to reports from Baluch activists, in the first six months of 2024, at least 133 Baluch Sukhtbars have died from shootings by military forces, traffic accidents, and vehicle fires, with another 80 injured in these incidents, including nine children.
