A State of Emergency has been declared in the Central Darfur state of Sudan for one month following a tribal war that claimed the lives of over 24 civilians.
According to Governor Saad Adam Babiker, who was quoted by Suna, “both sides of the conflict shot live bullets at the reconciliation panel that was trying to end the crisis” late Sunday night.
Last week, violence broke out between the Misseriya and Aulad Rached Arab tribes in areas close to Zalingei, the seat of Central Darfur in western Sudan.
“Houses have been burned and the situation is still out of control despite the dispatch of government troops,” added an Aoulad Rached dignitary.
Tribal disputes have escalated after General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane’s October 2021 military coup as a result of the security vacuum the coup left behind, according to experts.
According to the UN, they have caused more than 265,000 displaced persons and over 800 fatalities this year.
At least 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced in Darfur’s 2003 battle between the Arab-majority administration of Omar al-Bashir and rebels from ethnic minorities who claimed discrimination, particularly in the early years of the conflict.
Bashir, who is in incarcerated, was overthrown in 2019 as a result of army and public pressure. Violence, particularly between competing tribes, continues to periodically tremble Darfur. Territorial disputes and challenges in getting to water, among other things, are the causes of the violence.