‘1000 Misseriya’ fight Salamat tribesmen in Central Darfur

Dozens of people were killed and injured during two days of fierce inter-tribal clashes between the Salamat and Misseriya in the localities of Mukjar and Bindisi in Central Darfur. At least eight bodies were transferred to the hospital of Rahad El Berdi in South Darfur and 12 people were injured in battles, multiple sources reported.On Wednesday, 6 November, some 1,000 Misseriya and Taaysha tribesmen jointly attacked Salamat settlements in Mukjar. In the evening, while passing through nearby Bindisi, the group attacked 15 farmers who were working on their land. Citizens told Radio Dabanga they stayed at home, and markets and roads were closed.The Misseriya-Taaysha group returned to Siro, in Mukjar area, on Thursday morning where they clashed again with Salamat. Sources told Radio Dabanga that heavy weapons were used during the clashes that lasted until sunset. Bodies were found scattered in the farmlands.Another source told Radio Dabanga on Thursday that the clashes left large numbers of dead and wounded: “Today people wanted to go out and recover the many, many bodies, most of them Misseriya, but they did not dare to go far after they heard of large numbers of fighters on their way to Siro, Boro and Um Dukhun.”16 Salamat killedSalamat spokesman Abdallah Mohamed Hamed Ajeeb told Radio Dabanga that 16 of his men were killed, among them children studying at a Koran school.“When the Misseriya and Taaysha in 16 Land Cruisers attacked the Salamat on Wednesday in Mukjar, we managed to repel the attack. Twenty-nine men of the Misseriya and their allies were killed,” he said.Ajeeb noted that the Misseriya continued their attacks on Thursday in other regions, in particular in Siro, adding that “again we were able to repel their attacks.”The Salamat spokesman repeated his previous accusations that the federal Minister of Finance, Ali Mahmoud, has been fuelling the clashes by providing support to the Misseriya.Three Misseriya killedFor his part, Omda Yousef Ishag El Nur of the Misseriya denied to Radio Dabanga that his tribe initiated the attacks.According to him, the reason for the clashes because a Salamat stole the cattle of a Misseriya on Wednesday in Dambar, Central Darfur. “A Misseriya rescue group then followed the thieves until the village of Eir, where the clashes erupted. Three of our men were killed and five injured,” he said.In response to Thursday’s clashes, El Nur said that the Misseriya attacked Salamat in Siro when they refused to pay blood money for two slain Misseriya during the cattle robbery.He said the payment had already been agreed by the Salamat. “They already paid a part of the amount in advance in the presence of a reconciliation committee and the Commissioner of the Bindisi locality. The Salamat later refused to pay the rest or to return the cattle,” the omda said.Tensions between the tribes have run high since an incident in Um Dukhun in April, which escalated into running battles between thousands of tribesmen from both sides. A reconciliation conference was convened in Zalingei, and on 1 July -in spite of sporadic flare-ups of violence between tribesmen- the omdas of the tribes announced they had “reached an agreement”.The UNHCR has said that as result of the tribal battles 50,000 people sought refuge in Chad within a short period of time, terming it the “largest influx of refugees from Sudan into Chad since 2005”.UN: ‘Security concern’ The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in its weekly report that fighting between the Salamat and Misseriya tribes continues to be a major security concern in Central Darfur. OCHA specifically mentions the localities of Um Dukhun, Mukjar and Bindisi. Armed clashes near Mukjar between the Misseriya and Salamat tribes left more than 20 dead and 30 injured on 27 October, OCHA says. An unspecified number of people, of whom most were women and children, fled to Mukjar town for safety.In Um Dukhun, local sources reported that on 28 October armed Salamat tribesmen attacked the newly displaced at camp Almatar. The police and joint Sudanese-Chadian forces intervened immediately and arrested two of the attackers. The remaining attackers fled across the border towards Chad and no casualties were reported.Due to security concerns arising from these clashes, the authorities advised Unamid and UNHAS to cancel flights to some destinations in the southern corridor at the beginning of the week. However, flights later resumed to these locations, OCHA reports. File photo Related:Misseriya attack Salamat in Mukjar, Central Darfur (6 November 2013)Salamat blame Central Darfur state and national authorities for fresh tribal clashes (31 October 2013)Misseriya and Salamat leaders condemn Central Darfur clashes (31 October 2013)