Asmaa Al-Hussaini (Khartoum, Cairo)
At least 43 people have been killed, more than 40 villages burned and thousands displaced as tribal clashes erupted in western Sudan’s Darfur region due to cattle looting, the United Nations and local officials said yesterday.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “Initial reports indicate the killing of at least 43 people, the burning and looting of 46 villages, and the injury of an unknown number of people due to the ongoing fighting.”
She pointed out that the majority of those affected have been displaced due to the violence, and their number has reached 4,300 people.
Omar Abdel Karim, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, said, by phone from El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur: that violence has erupted since November 17 between the Misseriya Al-Jabal tribe and a group of Arab tribes, in the Jebel Moon area of West Darfur state.
He noted that some villages inhabited by Arabs were also burned, and the residents were forced to flee to neighboring Chad.
For his part, Khamis Abdullah Abkar, the governor of West Darfur, confirmed that the clashes took place due to “differences due to the looting of camels last week,” adding that “military reinforcements were sent to the area.”
The rocky Mount Moon region is inhabited by groups of farmers and herders, and its population exceeds 66,000 people, according to the United Nations.
In 2003, Darfur witnessed a civil war, during the rule of ousted President Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown in April 2019, following mass protests against his three-decade rule.
The war, which left 300,000 dead, according to United Nations statistics, erupted when a group of African minorities took up arms against Al-Bashir’s government, which is supported by the Arabs under the pretext of the political and economic marginalization of the region.
Although the intensity of the main fighting has subsided in the region for years, the region is rife with weapons, and violence erupts from time to time, due to disputes between farmers and herders.
And last month, fighting broke out when the army commander, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, announced his decisions to dissolve the institutions of civil governance, which resulted in a wave of popular protests that continue to this day.
Yesterday, mass demonstrations took place in Sudan under the slogan “Million of Loyalty to the Martyrs”, called by political parties, professionals and resistance committees, in rejection of the political agreement signed last Sunday, between Sudanese Prime Minister Dr. A complete civilian.
Crowds chanted in the capital, Khartoum, and other Sudanese cities, calling for retribution for the martyrs’ souls.
The absence of the police was noted in some of the streets that witnessed the demonstrations in Khartoum. The Prime Minister had called on the police to secure the demonstrations, and to release detainees during previous demonstrations.
Hamdok said: The political agreement, which he signed with Al-Burhan, was drafted with the participation of 30 figures representing all the political spectrum, the forces of freedom and change, the National Accord Group and the armed movements, and that they all participated in drafting the agreement, on the eve of its announcement.
He added in a televised interview with Sudanese media professionals: His main concern when signing the agreement at this pivotal historical moment is to prevent further deterioration and to work to prevent Sudan from sliding into civil war, as many countries in our regional surroundings have slipped.
Hamdok expressed his belief that the political agreement opens the way to move forward, as there is not much time left, pointing out that eighteen months are very sufficient to achieve the democratic elections and hold elections.
For his part, the Norwegian envoy Andrei Stansen affirmed his country’s support for the Sudanese people through the steps taken with the signing of the political agreement, and the return of the Prime Minister to lead the civilian government, praising the great role played by the Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti” in Reaching an agreement between the parties, stressing that everything that would contribute to the success of the transitional period.
For his part, Hemedti, during his meeting with the Norwegian envoy, yesterday, in Khartoum, affirmed his appreciation for Norway’s efforts to stabilize Sudan, noting that the political agreement will contribute to completing the democratic path, leading to elections at the end of the transitional period.
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