The military of Sudan said on Saturday that tribal violence between the Miseriya and Nuba tribes resulted in at least five fatalities and nine injuries.
Despite the signing of a national peace agreement two years ago, the episode is the most recent in a string of ethnic violence that has ravaged the nation.
According to a military statement, the army, rapid support forces, and police intervened to stop the fighting that took place in the town of Lagawa on Friday and Saturday.
Lagawa is located outside of the state that is under the control of the SPLM-N faction commanded by rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which has not ratified the peace agreement.
Members of the Arab Miseriya tribe have taken part in the fight between the group and the Sudanese government, whose army includes Nuba tribe members.
However, the SPLM-N denied any role in the clashes in Lagawa and any animosity toward the Miseriya in a statement released on Friday, claiming that a land dispute in the town was the cause of the unrest.
A different military statement described the release as a “goodwill gesture” and stated it came about as a result of discussions between the group’s leadership, Sudan’s sovereign council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and South Sudanese middlemen.