Mediators suspend Darfur tribes’ reconciliation

The mediation committee of the Ma’aliya and Rizeigat reconciliation conference announced the suspension of the conference, for an indefinite period, following the fruitless negotiations. The committee had reported to the governments of West Kordofan and East Darfur that the tribes failed to bridge the gap in viewpoints. The chairman of the committee, Ismail Yusuf, said in a press statement on Thursday that the committee “failed to bring the tribes’ views together despite making use of the of administrative and constitutional leadership of the two tribes”. He, however, expressed optimism about the next round in the reconciliation conference, whose venue will be determined later. The latest clashes between the Ma’aliya and Rizeigat in East Darfur on Wednesday led to the killing of seven and the wounding of several others. The tribes have fought many battles over the years that claimed the lives of hundreds of people and the wounding of many others. It is worth noting that a factor of the failures in the reconciliation conference could be that the Second Vice President of Sudan, Hasabo Mohamed Abdul Rahman, who participates in the conference, belongs to the Rizeigat tribe. File photo: A woman of the Rizeigat tribe dances and sings to welcome a Unamid delegation at the Ed Daein airport (Albert González Farran/Unamid) Related: New Ma’aliya-Rizeigat clashes in East Darfur (18 June 2014) Sudanese tribal reconciliation failed in West Kordofan (13 June 2014)