Clashes between Arab and non-Arab tribes in South Darfur have left no fewer than 36 people dead and dozens wounded.
The fighting broke out on Saturday between the Arab al-Taisha and ethnic African Fallata tribes in the remote Um Dafuq area of South Darfur, witnesses said.
According to sources in the area, calm has been restored to the city as the people mourn the dead.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the clashes but similar fighting often erupts in the Darfur region over land and access to water.
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‘We heard the sound of heavy weapons throughout the fighting,’ which broke out Saturday and continued on Sunday, Um Dafuq resident Eissa Omar told reporters.
The vast Darfur region, located in western Sudan, has been the scene of similar bouts of violence in recent months.
In April, at least 132 people were killed in West Darfur fighting between members of the Massalit tribe and Arab communities, forcing authorities to impose a state of emergency.
Africa Daily News, New York recalls that in January, renewed clashes between Arab and non-Arab tribes in the West and South Darfur regions killed more than 250 people.
The violence came as Sudan navigates a rocky transition following the toppling of long-time president Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, following mass protests against his rule.
The transitional government installed after Bashir’s ouster has been pushing to end long-running conflicts including in Darfur.
It signed a landmark peace agreement with multiple key rebel groups in October, and it is currently in talks to forge peace with the remaining two holdout groups.
The recent violence in Darfur appeared not to involve any signatories to the October peace deal.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
