New tribal clashes scuttle Central Darfur reconciliation hopes

More than ten people have been killed and dozens wounded in renewed violent clashes between the Misseriya and Salamat tribes on Monday. This occurred on the same day as a reconciliation conference between the warring parties was due to convene in Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur.Multiple witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the clashes erupted between the two sides at 10:00am at Um-sory, and soon spread to Qraih, Kirlaa and Abu Gerad. “Dozens of wounded were taken to the city hospital to receive treatment, with many of the remaining residents fleeing towards Chad.”Sources told Radio Dabanga that these are the fiercest of the recent clashes because “each party has mobilised and prepared”.They appealed to the government mediators to intervene and convince the leaders of the tribes to stop the clashes.The UNHCR has said that as result of the battles in South and Central Darfur 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”.File photo: Refugees displaced by violence in Darfur have settled in Tissi (MSF)