At least 48 people were killed in a tribal conflict in Sudan’s West Darfur state, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) said in a statement.
“Initial reports indicated that there have been 48 deaths from live ammunition and a large number of injuries, some critical, as a result of the bloody conflict in Kirainik area in West Darfur state,” Xinhua news agency quoted the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors as saying in the statement.
In a separate report, the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced People in Darfur, also an NGO, confirmed dozens of people were killed or wounded as a result of an attack by armed men in Kirainik.
“Violence erupted in the area after armed militias killed and wounded a number of internally displaced people (IDPs), and burned the IDP camp and the market,” it noted.
Sudanese authorities have not released details on the number of fatalities or injured persons in those events.
Meanwhile, Governor of Darfur Region Arko Minni Minnawi said work was underway to put in place decisive measures to prevent tribal mobilisation and division, which would result in the burning of villages and escalation of conflict.
Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, in the meantime, held a regular meeting at the Republican Palace in Khartoum on Monday and reviewed the events in Darfur and Kordofan states.
“The council expressed regret over the occurrence of such events which led to bloodshed and loss of property,” Salma Abdul-Jabbar Al-Mubarak, the council’s spokesperson, said in a statement.
The council further stressed the need to confront the groups which seek to create a state of instability and spark panic among the citizens, according to the spokesperson.
It instructed for ensuring more control over the situation in those areas in order to impose the rule of law, limit the flow of arms from crisis-hit neighbouring countries, and stop illegal trade.
The Darfur region has been witnessing a civil war since 2003 during the rule of former President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in April 2019.
The transitional government in Sudan sought to end the armed conflict in the region through an agreement reached on October 3, 2020, but some armed groups have not yet signed the agreement.
For years, efforts failed to end the tribal conflicts, which have become a nagging concern for the local population and the authorities of the troubled region.
Many factors have contributed to the growing violence in Darfur including security disturbances and the tribes’ access to weapons, while many parts of the region have no effective governance.