Tribal clashes began last Thursday in the Darfur region

2023-08-12 17:38:26

At least 120 people have died in the last three days in clashes between Arab tribes in the troubled region of Darfur, in the west of Sudanin the midst of a conflict over the alliances of these clans with the Army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (FAR).

A security source who asked not to be named told EFE this Saturday that the clashes in South Darfur and West Darfur, which began on Thursday, “have caused the death of more than 120 people and have left dozens of injured“.

He pointed out that the conflict originated after that at the beginning of the week Armed men from the Arab Salamat tribe entered the house of a tribal chief and stole his vehicleso members of the Beni Halba clan, also an Arab, three of the assailants were killed.

The crashes later spread between the Salamat and Beni Halba tribes in an area close to the border with Chadwhere there is now a large movement of displaced people crossing to the other side of the divide to escape the conflict.

Likewise, there were also clashes between the Salamat and another Arab tribe, Habaniya, which in turn came into conflict with the African Masalit clan, one of the few that supports the Army in the war with the FAR since they consider that paramilitaries are carrying out ethnic cleansing in Darfur.

Salah Abdula, tribal leader of Gereida, in South Darfur, told EFE that the clashes between Salamat and Beni Halba left one hundred dead; another six perished in clashes between Habaniya and the Masalit; while another 14 died in the conflict between Habaniya and Salamat.

He also stated that “a large number of fighters” from Beni Halba and Salamat have moved from Khartoum to support their respective tribes in armed clashes.

risk of civil war

Much of the Arab tribes of South Darfur They accuse the Army of starting a war between the different Arab clans of the region, which last June announced their support for the FAR paramilitaries in their fight against the Armed Forces.

These clans also believe that the Army is causing these clashes so that the tribal fighters in Khartoum return to Darfur and abandon their ranks in the capital, where the Armed Forces are advancing to take complete control.

Several organizations, as well as the UN, have stated their concern that the conflict in Darfur will escalate into a civil war due to the divisions that have been created since the rebellion of the FAR against the Army on April 15, which started a war throughout Sudan.