Arab Coalition for Darfur urges Sudan, UNAMID to contain tribal conflict

The Arab Coalition for Darfur (ACD) is urging the Sudanese government and UNAMID to quickly take actions to stop the “bloodshed of the tribal fighting” in North Darfur, according to a statement from 27 February. “This conflict led to the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in the region and the displacement of its citizens and the siege of more than 15,000 people in camps”, the Coalition was quoted as saying. In addition, the organization is condemning the “inaction by the state to control the conflict” and its failure to protect the lives of civilians and provide them aid. The Arab Coalition appealed to the warring parties to cease hostilities and to renounce violence and the traditional mechanisms used to resolve disputes between tribes. Fighting broke out over control of gold mines in Jebel ‘Amer, Al-Sareif Beni Hussein locality, on 5 of January between the Arab Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes. A Sudanese lawmaker recently announced that 510 people were killed, 865 people were wounded, 15 women were raped, 68 villages were completely burnt down and 120 others were set ablaze since the beginning of the hostilities. In January, the UN estimated that over 100.000 people fled their home villages in North Darfur as a result of the armed conflict, suggesting this was the biggest forced displacement in Darfur in years. ACD, founded in May 2008, comprises more than 100 Arab civil society organizations in 18 Arab countries, according to its website. It was established in “direct response to the Arab formal and informal silence for what is happening in Darfur, and to contribute effectively to change the tragic situation” in the region.Photo: A miner explains the incident that took place gold mines in the Jebel ‘Amer area (Rania Abdulrahman/ UNAMID)