More than 100 dead in two days of South Darfur tribal violence

Nine Habaniya tribesmen were killed and three others wounded in an attack by Rizeigat on El Sunta in South Darfur on Tuesday.
The fighting between the Fellata and Salamat spread to Dimsu and El Ferdous, leaving 101 dead and wounded over the past two days.

Nine Habaniya tribesmen were killed and three others wounded in an attack by Rizeigat on El Sunta in South Darfur on Tuesday.

The fighting between the Fellata and Salamat spread to Dimsu and El Ferdous, leaving 101 dead and wounded over the past two days.

Multiple sources told Radio Dabanga that the attack on El Sunta was triggered when a Rizeigat trader was killed by Habaniya militants on the El Sunta-El Ferdous road.

“In response, a group of Rizeigat in three Land Cruisers raided El Sunta on Tuesday morning. They killed nine Habaniya, and injured three, among them Musa Mohamed Jido, Habaniya omda of El Sunta locality. They were transferred to the hospital of Buram,” one of them reported.

The sources expect new clashes “at any moment”, as large groups of fighters from both sides are gathering in the area.

They called on the South Darfur authorities and native administration leaders to intervene, and contain the situation.

Fellata-Salamat

The number of casualties in the armed conflict between the Fellata and Salamat in South Darfur increased after the fighting spread to Dimsu and El Ferdous localities.

“During two days of mutual attacks, we lost 30 of our tribesmen and 45 others sustained injuries,” a Fellata sheikh told Radio Dabanga.

The Amir of the Salamat tribe, Musa El Bashir, reported that 10 Salamat were killed, and 16 were wounded.

The clashes stopped after the South Darfur authorities sent troops to separate the warring parties.

Salamat Omda Jibril Hassan Adam Abdallah described the clashes as “very unfortunate.” He appealed to both sides to stop this “absurd fighting. We strongly condemn what happened, and reject any tribal war.”

He accused the South Darfur government of reacting very slowly after the first clashes erupted on Saturday.” The Salamat leader therefore appealed to the Sudanese Presidency to intervene.